


Distractions

by Ladroitte



Category: My Time At Portia (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Casual Sex, F/M, Mention of death by drowning, Non-Graphic Sexual Assault, Oral Sex, Romance, Shower Sex, Slow Burn, Smut, Threats of Violence, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex, switching POV
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-23
Updated: 2019-11-02
Packaged: 2019-11-04 08:49:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 81,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17895329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ladroitte/pseuds/Ladroitte
Summary: Arlo's number one ambition is to one day get into the Flying Pigs, so when someone presents him with another opportunity, he's hesitant to take it - and when he goes to a friend for advice, the matter gets even more complicated.





	1. Invitation

Crossing his arms over his chest for comfort, Arlo stared into the hard, gray eyes of his long-time friend and mentor.

‘I don’t know what’s right,’ he murmured. ‘Should I go for it, or would that put a stop to my other plans?’

He paused.

‘I know I can’t give up on my goal… But does that mean I have to neglect everything else? Even personal relationships?’

His mentor seemed to frown at him. Arlo nodded slowly.

‘I figured you would think that… I wish you wouldn’t always be so predictable.’

Something rustled behind him. He spun around, getting into combat stance, but when he saw what had made the sound, his muscles relaxed again.

‘Olivia,’ he said, relief filling him as the bright green eyes of his favorite builder turned to him. He hadn’t even considered her as an alternative to the Flying Pigs statue, but now that she was here, he realized how happy he was to see her. If anyone could help him make up his mind, it would be her. She had an engineer’s mind; no one he knew was as good at coming up with creative solutions as she was. ‘Do you have a moment?’

She glanced in the direction of the abandoned ruins nearby. Arlo felt his heart sink. Of course, after having proven her talent to the entire population of Portia, she was getting more and more commissions every day. She was way too busy to have time for his silly problems.

‘It’s fine, I don’t want to disturb you,’ he hurried to say, but to his surprise, she looked back and cocked her head to the side in the way that she always did when she was analyzing something—usually a building component, sometimes a human being.

‘What’s up, Arlo?’

Her attention now fully focused on him, he started feeling self-conscious about the whole thing. ‘It’s... a little personal,’ he began, rubbing his neck. ‘I would like your opinion, but can you promise me you won’t tell anyone else?’

Olivia nodded without hesitation. ‘I promise.’

‘Thanks.’

He took a deep breath, shaking his shoulders in an attempt to calm his nerves. His gaze was drawn to the horizon, where the light of the sun had begun coloring the sky red. He’d been way to antsy to get any sleep; in fact, he hadn’t even tried. After hesitating with his hand above the handle on the Civil Corps’ front door, he’d taken a long walk around the city, chased away a few monsters by the Southern gate, spent some time by the river, and then slowly made his way back toward the Civil Corps without really believing he’d be able to sleep. No idea what time it was now, but apparently it was early enough for Olivia to make a visit to the abandoned ruins. It made him wonder if she always got up this early… which, in turn, made him think about what he might miss while he was passed out in his bed in the morning. He was supposed to protect the citizens of Portia—what if something happened to her in the ruins? He wouldn’t find out until it was too late.

But why was he thinking about that now? Of all the opportunities to distract himself throughout the course of the night... He couldn’t let his mind slip now; he needed to get this over with and make a decision.

‘How about we walk to Central Plaza first?’ he suggested, running a hand through his hair. ‘Some scenery would help ease the mood.’ At least he hoped it would.

‘Sure,’ Olivia said, already starting down the path. ‘I need a break, anyway.’

Arlo stared after her. A break…?

When she realized he wasn’t following, she paused and looked at him over her shoulder. ‘You coming, Arlo?’

Breaking out of his stupor, he managed to make his feet work and stumbled after her. ‘Sorry, what time is it?’

‘About half past five, I think,’ she said without missing a beat.

‘And you… need a break.’

It wasn’t a question, but Olivia seemed to register the disbelief in his voice.

‘I couldn’t sleep, so I worked on some constructions instead. But then I ran out of materials, so I thought I could just as well go to the ruins and mine a bit before breakfast.’

Despite himself, Arlo smiled faintly while he walked beside her. ‘Do I have to work it into my nightly routine to put padlocks on all the ruin doors? Because I will.’

Olivia rolled her eyes and pointed her thumb at the large iron sword strapped to her back. ‘I can take care of myself, you know.’

He did know. He’d made the embarrassing mistake of underestimating her before, and it had ended with her kicking his ass in front of a small crowd in Central Plaza. She hadn’t used to be that good—he knew that because she’d challenged him only a few days after she moved to Portia, and she hadn’t been able to get a single hit in back then.

He couldn’t help smiling at the memory. Such a typical Olivia thing, to go and challenge the Captain of the Civil Corps before she’d even introduced herself to everyone in Portia yet. It had annoyed him back then, both because it was reckless of her and because he didn’t have time to play around, but it was obvious that she’d taken her defeat to heart and trained steadily since then, because when she’d asked for a rematch a few months later, he’d found himself shoved to the ground within seconds. He could still picture the victorious smirk on her face when he thought back to that moment; could still feel the insides of her thighs press against the sides of his torso.

‘I know,’ he told Olivia in the present. ‘But sharp tools and sleep deprivation don’t go well together. Safety—’

‘—first,’ she finished with a small sigh. ‘You’re right. I’ll try to get some sleep.’ She turned her head to give him a soft smile. ‘After our talk.’

Oh right, the talk… He’d almost managed to push that out of his mind.

They reached the plaza, where Olivia sat down on a bench and patted it with her hand to invite him to do the same. He hesitated for only a moment before taking a seat beside her, making sure to leave some space between them.

‘So.’ Olivia rested her hands in her lap as she turned her green gaze toward him. ‘What’s bothering you, Arlo?’

He smiled faintly and shook his head. Why was he nervous about this? Olivia wouldn’t make fun of him, he knew that.

‘You see... last night,’ he began, considering his words carefully before continuing, ‘Nora, y’know, the missionary, laid out her feelings for me.’

He glanced at Olivia from behind his bangs. She had turned forward now and was silently staring at the large tree in the middle of the plaza.

‘I see,’ she said after a pause that felt eternal to Arlo. ‘What did you tell her?’

His fingers clenched the edge of the bench. ‘I haven’t really given her a response yet... It’s all a little sudden.’

‘Do you like her?’

‘I like telling her stories about my adventures, but I always saw her as…’ His voice trailed off, and he sighed deeply. ‘I mean… I’d be lying if I said I’m not attracted to her at all. But she’s a bit younger than me, and we’re sort of worlds apart. I’m all about the Civil Corps right now. If I got into a relationship, I’d have to make sure to prioritize her… Not to mention that my job is very dangerous, and I don’t want anyone to worry about me.’

Olivia only hummed. He fiddled with his belt. ‘So what do you… what do you think?’ he asked, almost in a whisper.

After another long pause, she finally answered.

‘This is all very… personal, Arlo. I don’t really know what to say.’

He swallowed. That’s what he had feared she would say. Had he made a fool of himself? Was this too private for their friendship?

‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,’ he said, tensing his muscles as he prepared to leave.

‘Why did you even ask me?’ she continued, her voice growing hard.

Arlo frowned, turning to her in uncertainty. ‘You’re my friend,’ he said slowly. ‘I just wanted to hear your opinion.’

‘Really? You wanted to ask me for advice because we’re friends?’

Her voice had taken on an obvious bitterness now. What the hell was going on? Why was she so upset all of a sudden?

Arlo couldn’t help getting infected by her change in mood. ‘Yeah. I did. Is that really so strange?’

Olivia’s lips straightened into a thin line. ‘No, not for you, I guess.’

‘What the hell is that supposed to mean?’

‘Nothing,’ she snapped, getting up from the bench. ‘It means nothing. Good night, Arlo.’

And then she left, stomping in the direction of Peach Plaza without another word. Arlo was left staring after her. He’d been nervous about telling her about it all, but he never thought she’d react this strongly. What had gone wrong? Was it something he said…?

He mentally backtracked through their conversation, but he couldn’t figure out where it went wrong.

‘Well, thanks for the chat,’ he muttered to himself. He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, massaging his temples with his index and middle fingers. He was more confused now than before. The Flying Pigs statue had been way more helpful.


	2. Excuses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Arlo breaks a rule for a silly reason.

Arlo had never been a people person. It wasn’t that he was rude or anything like that—he could be pleasant if he wanted to, and he was usually greeted with smiles around Portia, which had to mean that people appreciated him—but he had just never prioritized that kind of thing. For as long as he could remember, he’d found it more important to fight for and protect the people around him than to actually spend time with them.

Now at the age of twenty-five, and being the Captain of Portia’s Civil Corps since two years back, he was coming to realize that maybe hanging out more with pig statues and cave monsters than people had given him a slightly… _skewed_ social experience. Usually, it wasn’t a problem; most Portians were easy enough to interact with. But some were harder than others. Sam, the youngest of his fellow soldiers in the Civil Corps, was one of them, with her determination and “no bullshit” attitude.

Lately, Olivia had been another.

She’d been in Portia for eight months, but it was only in the past three that they’d really started talking to each other. They’d met just a couple of days after she moved in—he’d needed a builder to construct the bridge to Ember Island, and what better place to look than in the Commerce guild, where she was just learning the ropes from Presley?—but after that, he’d been so busy working on doing up the defenses of Portia, chasing off thieves and scammers, and digging up old ruins together with Sam and Remington, all while trying to get good enough for the entry test of the Flying Pigs… Needless to say, there hadn’t been much time for interactions with the new builder—or anyone else, for that matter.

Well, that was to say, until she’d somehow gotten so good at fighting that the Civil Corps had started relying on her to help them whenever they needed more manpower. She’d turned out to be both clever and resourceful, and Arlo had soon come to enjoy her company during their exploration of new ruins in the desert or investigation of strange new footprints in the forest. She was quick-witted and straight to the point, which made it easy for him to like her.

But in the past few days—ever since she stomped away from him on Central Plaza, after a particularly strange conversation—he’d been reluctant to see her. And that’s why he felt so uncomfortable when Sam asked him a simple question one morning.

‘Could you commission Liv to repair a support beam in Ingall’s mine? When I was there yesterday, it looked about ready to collapse.’

Arlo raised his glass of apricot juice to his lips. ‘Why are you asking me? Can’t you do it yourself?’

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sam give him an odd look. ‘I mean, I guess I could, but… It’s just that you’re always the one who does it.’

‘We’re not supposed to go directly to a builder with a commission,’ he said. ‘It should go through the Commerce Guild. You know that.’

Sam barked out a laugh. ‘Ha! You kidding me? When was the last time you posted a commission in the Commerce Guild? You _always_ go to Liv. She’s the best, isn’t she?’

Arlo pursed his lips. Why did Sam always have to be so attentive? He’d never actually told her that he sometimes—no, _not_ always—went straight to Olivia with a commission. It was against the rules, and he usually wasn’t one to break rules, but she was one hell of a builder: fast, reliable, and always delivering high quality constructions. Of course, he wouldn’t deny that he enjoyed having a chat with her every now and then, but obviously that wasn’t one of the main reasons he went to her. He was the Captain of the Civil Corps, she was a talented builder, and that was that.

‘Only when the job is too urgent to post on the board in the Commerce Guild,’ he said as he rose from his chair, plate and glass in hand.

‘Well this _is_ an urgent job,’ Sam argued.

He shook his head. ‘We’ll just close off the mine until it’s been done. Post it on the board.’

The youngest Civil Corps member sighed and leaned back in her own chair. ‘Fine. I will.’

 

* * *

 

Arlo leaned his shoulder against one of the wooden beams outside the Round Table restaurant, arms crossed and gaze fixed on the door to the Commerce Guild. Sam had gone in a couple of minutes ago to post her commission—Antoine had let her in early—but now the clock was three minutes to eight and she hadn’t come out again. Not that it mattered to Arlo; he was just readying himself to patrol the outskirts of the city. But it was still early, and he didn’t see why he couldn’t hang back a moment to see Portia wake up and move through Peach Plaza.

‘Good morning, Boss!’

Arlo glanced at the figure coming up to him from his left. ‘Morning, Django.’

Django paused with the key in hand. ‘Something the matter?’

‘No,’ Arlo replied, turning his attention back to the building across the plaza. ‘Just keeping an eye out.’

‘Well, as long as you don’t scare away my customers,’ Django laughed as he unlocked the door to his restaurant. ‘You look like you expect a corpse to walk out from the Commerce Guild.’

Arlo smiled. ‘Sorry, just deep in thought.’

Django started saying something else, but just then, Sam appeared in the door and skipped down the stairs, and Arlo’s focus switched immediately. He watched her walk back up toward the ruins, following her with his gaze until she went out of sight, before he straightened and walked out onto the plaza.

One minute to eight, and to his right, he could see Higgins making his way up the street from his workshop. Arlo turned to the left, but no one came in from the Western gate. He furrowed his brow. Where was she? Didn’t she want to check out the new commissions before Higgins could take the best ones?

Turning to the right again, he saw Higgins giving him a formal nod.

‘Morning,’ Arlo muttered. With long, fast strides, he moved to the gate and peered toward Olivia’s workshop. There she was, working on something on her worktable, her head lowered and hands steady. Too engrossed in her work to realize what time it was?

He looked back over his shoulder, where Higgins was already walking up the steps to the Guild. Arlo gritted his teeth. He shouldn’t… _But…_

Before he knew what was happening, he had run up to the Commerce Guild, basically kicked in the door and strode up to the board by the wall. Ignoring Antoine’s surprised outcry and Higgins’ loud complaints, he scanned the board until he found what he was looking for. He tore the commission off and spun around before Higgins had even reached the board.

‘Sorry,’ he said with a grim nod, ‘this one was posted prematurely.’

Higgins just grunted.

Heart thundering in his chest, Arlo then waltzed right out of the building with the roll of paper clasped in his hand.

What had he just done? Had he really torn down a commission from the board and lied about the reason why? Had he really just abused his authority to get away with breaking one of the Guild’s most basic rules?

But it was for a good reason, he reminded himself. This was an urgent matter. This was a matter of life and death. It was only reasonable to give this job to the most reliable builder in Portia.

At least, that’s what he kept telling himself, even as he made his way through the Western Gate and strolled down the path toward Olivia’s workshop. He hadn’t talked to her in days; in fact, he had barely even seen her lately. It seemed like she was avoiding him just as much as he had avoided her. Was she still angry? He had no idea. He didn’t even know what she had gotten angry about. It wasn’t like her to be petty, so maybe she’d already been in a bad mood over something when he caught her by the pig statue?

She didn’t look up when he reached her fence; she probably didn’t see him, that’s how focused she was on her worktable. He stopped and looked at her for a moment. He didn’t usually catch her in the middle of something in this way, so seeing her so engrossed was new to him. Her forehead was furrowed, her eyes narrow, her brown hair tied up in a messy bun on her head. As he watched, she ran the back of her hand across her forehead to wipe away some sweat. Her fingers were spotted with dirt, leaving a faint trail against her skin.

She looked up, and their gazes met. Arlo felt his cheeks redden as she gave him a surprised look.

‘Um, hello,’ he said, blinking frenetically like a deer in headlights.

‘Hello?’

Her tone was inquisitive, and for good reason—why would he just be standing there like a buffoon?

He remembered the roll of paper in his hand and waved it in the air. ‘I have a commission for you. Urgent.’

Wiping her forehead again (leaving another trail of dirt), she walked up to him by the fence and held out her hand. He gave her the commission, waiting silently as she skimmed it. When she was done, she looked up at him again with those bright eyes of hers.

‘I’ll have it done by tomorrow morning,’ she promised.

He nodded. ‘Thank you.’

‘Safety first,’ she said then, her lips trying not to smirk but failing. Arlo moistened his lips, unsure where to go from there.

‘Of course.’

They stood silent for a moment. Arlo considered whether he should leave, and if so, whether he should say anything first, and if so, what he should say—when, to his relief, Olivia took the matter in her own hands.

‘I’m sorry for being so weird that morning,’ she started, shaking her shoulders as if she wanted to rid herself of the memory. ‘It wasn’t really about you, but it wasn’t fair to take it out on you like that.’

He forced a reassuring smile. ‘Hey, it’s nothing.’

‘It is,’ she argued. ‘You confided in me and I told you off. I’m really sorry.’ She sighed, staring into his chest, which was at her eye-level. ‘For what it’s worth… I think you should go for it. For Nora, I mean. If you… want to.’

Arlo stared down at her. Nora… Right. The reason he’d even talked to her that morning. He suddenly felt ashamed that he had basically forgotten about her after his argument with Olivia.

‘I… I’m still thinking about it,’ he croaked out.

While Olivia nodded thoughtfully, Arlo was busy ransacking himself. How could Nora have slipped his mind so easily? He’d been awake an entire night for crying out loud, worrying about what response to give her, and now he could barely remember what that had felt like?

He hadn’t even seen Nora in the past days, even in passing. What if he’d hurt her feelings? What if she had locked herself inside, too embarrassed to go out? He’d told her he had to think about it, and then he hadn’t returned to give her a response… Oh shit.

‘I’m such a shitty person,’ he groaned.

Olivia frowned at him. ‘Sorry?’

He glanced toward the gate, past which he could discern the apartment building where Nora lived. ‘I… may have…’

He couldn’t say it. He just couldn’t.

Olivia apparently didn’t need him to—she realized it all on her own, her eyes widening. ‘You haven’t even talked to her yet?’

‘I’ve been swamped,’ he lied. Sure, he _had_ been busy lately, what with protecting Portia, training for the Flying Pigs entry exam and worrying about his argument with Olivia… But there was no excuse for this.

She shrugged. ‘I guess that’s a believable enough excuse. You are the Captain of the Civil Corps, and a lot of new ruins have been discovered lately.’

A believable excuse? Shit, he really was that transparent, huh?

As if she could read his mind, she smirked and continued, ‘Just try to sound more sincere when you tell Nora.’

He was just about to reply when someone came up behind him.

‘Hey, Liv,’ said a nasal, drawling voice that Arlo recognized right away. He turned to see Mint walking up and leaning over the fence to see what Olivia was working on by her worktable. ‘Got a sec? There’s this schematic I’d like your thoughts on.’

Olivia glanced to him, then back to Arlo, who beat her to it. ‘I was just about to leave,’ he said, backing away from the fence. ‘Thanks for the talk, Olivia.’

She nodded as she stroked a loose sling of hair behind her ear. ‘I’ll have that support beam fixed as soon as I can.’ Before he turned around, she added, ‘Good luck.’


	3. Support

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arlo tries to get in control of his life, but ends up making it worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this entire chapter in four hours... If only my writing was always this effortless.

When Nora had first moved to Portia and into the Happy Apartments, her room had been void of any personality: just a bed and her large suitcase. But throughout the year since, she’d slowly decorated the place to make it more her own. She had handicrafts from Ginger, pictures of her favorite places in the city and her closest friends (including Arlo), potted plants that had been gifts from Alice, some paintings from Lee… Despite her view on old technology, she’d even kept some of the old relics Arlo had brought her from the Abandoned ruins, probably because they reminded her of the adventure stories he’d told her.

When she opened the door to see who was knocking that morning, Arlo instantly caught on to a new addition on her wall: a framed photograph of him and Nora that Mei had taken a week ago outside of the Portia Times. Arlo had a friendly arm wrapped around Nora’s shoulders, and they were both smiling into the camera. When he saw that picture now, his heart sank.

‘Arlo,’ Nora exclaimed, her voice surprised. She glanced behind him as if she expected someone else to be there. ‘What are you doing here so early?’

He tucked his hands in his back pockets and looked away, trying not to look too nervous. ‘I wanted to talk to you. About what you told me a couple of days ago.’

Nora’s eyes widened just a hint. She glanced back into her room before turning back to stare at Arlo. Realizing what she must be thinking, he immediately took a step back.

‘We, uh, don’t have to talk in here.’ He gave her a quick look and noticed that she was fully dressed, with a messenger bag over her shoulder. ‘Can I walk you to the church?’

She looked visibly relieved. ‘Yes. That sounds great. I was just about to leave, actually.’

He stepped to the side to let her out into the hall, waiting as she closed the door. When she was done, she looked up at him with a shy smile.

‘Ready,’ she said, and her voice sounded so frail that he felt a strange urge to wrap her in his arms and protect her from all evil in the world. He paused, considering his own thoughts. What did his reaction mean? Did he feel anything slightly romantic toward her, or was it just brotherly empathy?

And here he thought he’d already figured it out… But no, this was clearly not an open-and-shut case.

They left the apartment building together and started toward the church. Neither of them said anything as they crossed Peach Plaza, but when they’d reached the foot of the hill atop which the church stood, he felt obliged to begin his confession.

‘I’ve been thinking about what you said,’ he started, grimacing slightly when she jolted at the sound of his voice. ‘You were… really brave to tell me how you felt.’

He saw her stroke a loose sling of hair behind her ear, maybe in an attempt to hide the blush that was slowly spreading from her cheeks. He thought back to the night that she’d confessed her feelings to him.

 _‘I feel so safe with you,’_ she’d told him, _‘safer than with anyone else. And I love our little meetups and listening to your stories under the night sky, but I can’t help but wish that I could have more of it. That I could… have more of you.’_

‘I’m glad that you feel safe with me,’ he said to her now, as they strolled up the spiral pathway toward the church. ‘I want all citizens of Portia to feel safe with me as their Civil Corps Captain… But I know that what you feel is something more than that.’

_‘I really like you, Arlo. I’m thinking about you a lot… What you’re doing, what you like, what you are thinking… And I don’t know if I’m just imagining it, but… I feel like you have grown to really like me, too.’_

‘You’re very dear to me,’ Arlo said, rubbing his neck. ‘You’re passionate, smart and kind… and really pretty, too.’

_‘Do you… Do you think of me as a friend, or more than that? Would you want to go out with me?’_

‘I would lie if I said that I see you as just a friend. But… there are so many things on my mind right now, and… I don’t think I’m ready to get into a relationship with anyone.’

There. He’d said it.

He glanced down at Nora. It seemed almost like she was trying to hide her face from him, either by bringing her hands up to touch her hair or by turning down and away.

Taking a deep breath, Arlo stopped walking and touched her shoulder. She came to a halt, but she still didn’t look up at him.

‘Are you alright?’ he asked softly.

She nodded. ‘Yeah, I… I understand.’ Finally, she raised her gaze to look him in the eyes. Her lips quirked into a careful smile. ‘You have a lot of responsibility as the Captain of the Civil Corps. You’re an inspiration to us all.’

Arlo cringed. ‘I don’t know about all that. But yeah, it is a lot of responsibility.’

‘Maybe we… can still be friends?’ she suggested weakly.

‘Of course,’ he reassured her. ‘There’s no doubt about that.’ He placed his hands by his sides and smiled. ‘I still have a bunch of stories to tell you.’

Nora giggled. ‘I look forward to hearing them.’

‘Arlo!’

His smile was replaced by a frown as he turned to face the voice coming from further down the path. Sam was waving to him from below.

‘Looks like duty’s calling,’ he told Nora. ‘I’ll see you later.’

She gave him a serious nod. ‘Take care.’

Walking down the hill again, he felt a fluttering nervousness in his chest. Why now? Shouldn’t he feel fine now that he had talked to Nora?

‘Hope I didn’t interrupt something,’ Sam said when he reached her at the foot of the hill.

He shook his head. ‘What’s up?’

‘Liv’s on her way to fix the support beam in the mine. She said she didn’t need any backup, but I thought you should know.’

Arlo sighed. ‘She went alone?’

‘Yeah. I would have gone with her anyway, but I have to help Remy clear out the ruins.’

Yesterday, Higgins had come to the Civil Corps with the tip that one of the Abandoned ruins had been invaded by Bandirats. Since all workshops depended on the Abandoned ruins for their materials, it was a priority to clear them whenever monsters found their way inside.

‘When did she leave?’

‘Just a few minutes ago. She took a Dee-Dee Transport.’

He started toward Peach Plaza. ‘Thanks, Sam. Be safe in the ruins.’

Sam saluted him with a gleam in her eyes. ‘Aye aye, Captain.’

* * *

Olivia lowered her water bottle and wiped her brow. Despite the cover of the Dee-Dee Transport, she felt like she’d spent the last hour in a furnace. Heat was streaming up from the sand around her, curling the air in hot waves. With a groan, she slung her backpack over her shoulder and stepped into the shadow of the entrance to Ingall’s Mine. Her bag was heavy with tools and materials; the support beam was an important part of the mine’s structure and had to be reinforced with strong metals, and so the weight was worse than what she usually carried around when something had to be fixed. Because of that, and because the desert was unusually hot today, she was already exhausted. But the Dee-Dee Transport had already left, and this beam had to be fixed, so she hauled her bag toward the entrance.

‘Need a hand?’

Olivia stopped and looked over her shoulder. Arlo was just joining her in the shadow, hands by his sides and a gaze as unimpressed as always. His forehead was moist with sweat, but he looked a lot less worn out than Olivia felt. She couldn’t help but feel annoyed at that fact. Her work was just as heavy as his was, but when it came to physical strength, he still managed to get out on top somehow. Probably because he was a man, which meant that he got a lot of it for free. Stupid biology.

‘I’m fine, thanks,’ she said, straightening a little in an attempt to look less exhausted. Arlo gave her a long look.

‘Uh-huh.’

‘I told Sam I didn’t need any backup,’ she said, growing more and more annoyed that he was just standing there, judging her.

‘Oh, I’m not here as your backup,’ he said, walking past her and into the mine. She frowned, looking after him for a moment before following.

‘No?’

He shook his head as he walked ahead. ‘This is just a patrol. Standard protocol.’

Yeah, right. She knew his schedule, and patrolling Ingall’s Mine usually wasn’t a part of it. But she knew he wouldn’t take a no for an answer, and so she reconciled herself with the thought of having him around while she worked on the beam.

‘As long as you stay out of my way,’ she sighed.

He pulled his sword out of its sheath on his back. ‘You won’t even notice that I’m here.’

Despite her annoyance, she had to admit she was also a tiny bit relieved that he went ahead and cleared out the hostile creatures that inhabited the mine. It meant that she could save her remaining stamina for her work.

She stopped by the opening to the cavern where the damaged support beam was standing. Arlo was busy fighting three creatures, swinging his sword in expert arcs while his feet kicked up dust from the ground as he moved in strategical patterns around the room. She leaned her shoulder against a wooden beam, allowing herself to watch Arlo move. His eyes were hard and focused, his brows furrowed in exertion. He’d removed his jacket a while earlier, revealing a t-shirt in faint yellow that was already colored darker by sweat around his neck, armpits and lower back. His arms were rarely naked, and so Olivia found herself entranced by his arm muscles as he swung his sword around.

He defeated the last creature, looked around for more, then, when determining that they were all alone in the cavern now, returned his sword to its sheath and wiped his forehead. He turned to Olivia and gave an exaggerated bow.

‘M’lady,’ he said, and the way that his lazy smile mixed with the exhaustion on his face made strange things happen in her lower abdomen.

‘Thanks,’ she murmured as she walked up to the broken beam, letting her backpack down on the ground to fish out her materials and tools.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Arlo stroll around the room, looking for potential dangers sneaking in the shadows. He didn’t seem to find any, and so after a while, he leaned back against a rock with his arms crossed, watching her work on the support beam. At first, it was a bit unnerving to have his eyes on her, but their silence wasn’t awkward—it was actually pleasant—and she didn’t see judgment in his gaze, only curiosity, so she quickly relaxed and fell into a comfortable work flow.

She didn’t know how much time had passed when she finished fixing the beam, but Arlo was still leaned against the rock, fiddling with a multi-function knife. He twiddled it around his fingers almost lazily, as if it was a simple pencil and not an incredibly sharp and lethal weapon. When Olivia stood up and brushed the dirt off her legs, he stopped twirling it and returned it to his belt. He left his rock to walk closer and inspect the beam.

‘Solid work,’ he said.

Olivia bit down a smile. Arlo was a competent fighter and leader, but he knew very little about building. Still, it was nice of him to compliment her.

He turned to her and offered her his water bottle. ‘Water?’

After a brief moment’s hesitation—she was thirsty, and her own bottle was empty—she received it and unscrewed the cork. She didn’t see him as she drank, but she could swear he was watching her.

‘Thanks,’ she said when she returned it to him. He took a swig of his own before putting it away again.

She crouched down beside her backpack, returning her tools and some leftover materials before zipping it up.

‘So,’ she started as she rose, ‘are you done with your pa— _watch out!_ ’

Jerking at her last words, Arlo jumped to the side just as a robotic leg slammed down where he’d stood. He lost his footing and scrambled to regain his balance, but the large, three-legged robot drill was faster, and with one of its sturdy legs, it whipped him straight into the wall on the other side of the room. Olivia widened her eyes, already feeling the adrenaline surge in her body. Arlo groaned—alive, conscious—but he didn’t stand up.

‘Get to the tunnel!’ she shouted at him, and to her relief, he actually did as she said—he crawled toward the safety of the narrow tunnel that they had come from.

Olivia turned to face the robot, unsheathing her sword. While the robot came toward her, she quickly analyzed its body. Its long, sturdy legs consisted of clunky metallic sections combined together into agile limbs that were both fast and precise. But they couldn’t be solid metal, because such agility meant there had to be a lot of joints in-between those metallic sections. Joints meant soft; soft meant fragile.

She dodged as one of its legs swung toward her. She raised her sword and tried to swing at one of the leg’s joints, but it had already whipped back, and so she only caught air. Another dodge, another attempt, but no, it was way too fast.

She scanned the room. Most of it consisted of solid rock—too hard for what she needed—but one of the walls seemed to pack brown dirt instead. Jackpot.

Dodging the legs as they swiped at her, she zig-zagged toward the dirt wall and jumped up at the rocky platform right below. Then she made herself as large as possible, waving her arms at the hostile AI.

‘Yoo-hoo, here I am, all yours!’

The robot raised one leg—aiming its large, sharp claw right at her—and struck.

Just in the nick of time, Olivia jumped out of the way, stumbling forward as the impact of the claw into the wall shook the entire room. _Let’s hope that support beam will hold,_ she thought as she turned back to look at the robot leg behind her. Just as she had hoped, the claw was stuck in the dirt, and the robot was fruitlessly struggling to pull it out. Olivia raised her sword and cut down just between two of the leg’s sections, severing it cleanly.

The robot was launched backward by the force, now stumbling around on only two legs as it tried to regain its bearings. Olivia grinned.

‘Losing your balance?’ she taunted.

After the first arm, getting the second arm was a little harder—the robot was learning fast, and it was reluctant to make the same mistake twice, but eventually she got it to launch its second claw into another part of the dirt wall, and another leg was severed by her iron sword.

Now only a drill head and one whole leg, the robot was severely handicapped. Olivia just had to stroll up to the poor thing where it lay writhing on the ground. She raised her sword to sever the last leg—

—But just as she was about to bring it down, one of the damaged legs struck her from behind and sent her rolling in right beneath the drill head, which had managed to use its bad legs to elevate itself a few feet off the ground. She widened her eyes in panic as the drill started whirring above her.

‘Argh!’

A large clang reverberated through the room; the drill stopped spinning and the robot tumbled to the side as sparks flew to Olivia’s left. She flinched away, heart beating a thousand miles an hour.

But suddenly, everything was quiet.

‘Olivia,’ called a breathless voice above her. ‘Olivia, are you alright?’

She dared to roll onto her back again and open her eyes. Arlo’s face came into view. He looked beat, with dirty scratch marks along his cheeks and forehead, but the things that caught her attention the most was his worried frown.

‘I think so,’ she breathed, patting herself down to see if all her parts were there. They seemed to be. ‘What about you?’

He fell down on his knees next to her, and she noticed that he was trembling. ‘I’m fine. I just took a hit.’ He let out a deep exhalation. ‘Damn it, that thing almost drilled you into the ground.’

Slowly, Olivia sat up; her back was aching, but nothing seemed broken, at least. She looked at Arlo, who had dug his hands into his hair and was staring at the ground where her head had just been.

‘But it didn’t,’ she said softly. ‘Thank you.’

He raised his gaze to meet hers. His eyes turned hard. ‘I’m the one who should say thank you. I should have been more attentive.’ He shook his head. ‘What a joke I am. The Captain of the Civil Corps, and I couldn’t even dodge a sneak attack.’

‘You’re tired,’ she said. ‘It’s hot as hell in here, and you’d already used up all your energy to fight all of those creatures before.’

Another head shake, but he chose not to argue. He reached into one of the small bags strapped to his belt and pulled out a rectangular packet that he ripped open. Pulling out a moist napkin of some sort, he carefully grabbed hold of her chin with one of his hands and guided her face toward him.

‘Let’s clean those scratches,’ he murmured, a concentrated wrinkle appearing between his brows. Olivia didn’t struggle, even though the napkins stung in her wounds. She let him softly pat her forehead with the soft tissue, distracting herself by looking into his blue eyes. She felt dizzy and quickly realized that it was probably because she was holding her breath. Letting out a trembling breath, she closed her eyes as Arlo moved the napkin to her left cheek. A pleasant scent of his sweat reached her nostrils, making her clench her hands into fists by her sides.

Then the tissue left her skin, and she opened her eyes again.

Arlo was staring at her with something strange in his gaze; almost like he was afraid of something, or struggling with his own thoughts. She stared back. Her heartbeats seemed to echo through the room.

‘Olivia,’ he said in a low voice.

When he didn’t continue, she replied, ‘Arlo.’

He swallowed; she could see his Adam’s apple bob up and down. The fingers on her chin tugged her face closer, and he met her halfway, his lips tentatively brushing hers. She let out a gasp, which spurred him to move his hand down to her neck instead, digging his fingers into her hair as she parted her lips.

‘Olivia,’ he mumbled, his breath mingling with hers.

‘Arlo,’ she breathed, letting out a soft whimper as he nibbled at her bottom lip with his teeth.

Almost on their own, her hands found their way to his naked arms, which jerked once as she grabbed hold of his biceps. He drew for air against her lips, stealing the oxygen away from her.

‘We shouldn’t,’ he whispered.

She ran the tip of her tongue along the outside of his bottom lip. ‘But it feels so good,’ she half-breathed, half-moaned.

‘Shit,’ he breathed.

He covered her mouth with his and kissed her. Their tongues met effortlessly, yet both of them were two strong-willed to let the other lead. Struck by a want so hard and so intense her legs were shaking, Olivia pushed Arlo down into the ground, her heart jumping at the deep groan he let out. His hands moved to her hips, pulling her down against him, and she could feel that he was already hard inside his jeans.

‘I want you,’ she whined against his lips, her hands pushing up his t-shirt to explore the naked skin below.

The grip around her hips hardened. ‘I want you too,’ he said, his voice taking on a desperate tone. He broke free from her lips and leaned his head back to stop her from kissing him again. ‘But we can’t. Not here.’

She let out a disappointed moan, moving her lips down to his chest again. She tongue-kissed her way from the edge of his shirt—which was pushed up right above his nipples—and downward, moving her body along as she neared the waistband of his jeans.

Arlo grabbed hold of her arms, stopping her from moving any lower. ‘Olivia,’ he panted. ‘No.’

She stopped. Lifting her head, she looked up at him just as he moved his arms back to support himself on his elbows. His chest heaved up and down, and his eyes were darker than she’d ever seen them.

‘We can’t do this,’ he said, shaking his head. ‘It’s not right.’

‘Fuck what’s right,’ she argued. ‘You want this. I want this. I can’t see what’s so wrong about that?’

Carefully but decisively, he pushed her away and pulled his legs up in front of himself. His gaze avoided hers. ‘I have a responsibility to all Portians. I can’t go around making out with the people I’m supposed to protect.’

Olivia scowled. ‘Do you usually make out with other Portians?’

He gave her a glare. ‘What do you think?’

She knew she shouldn’t, but she couldn’t help but feel a tinge of satisfaction at his reply.

Arlo got up from the ground and turned away from her, probably because he was still sporting a hard-on. He pulled on his jacket, sheathed his sword and ran a hand through his hair.

‘I talked to Nora before coming here.’

Olivia perked up at the mention of that name. ‘What did you tell her?’

He took a moment to answer. ‘I said I can’t get into a relationship right now. There’s too much going on.’

… That wasn’t what she wanted to hear.

‘Is that the truth?’ she asked in a low voice. ‘Is that the only thing that’s stopping you from going after her?’

She was expecting him to admit that no, that wasn’t the only thing, he didn’t have any feelings for Nora, he had someone else on his mind, and that person was Olivia, and he was willing to try to unite his work with his love life for her sake…

‘I don’t know,’ he said instead, letting out a deep sigh. ‘But even if it wasn’t, it’s still true that I don’t have that kind of time. Even if I wanted to get into a relationship with her… with anyone… I wouldn’t be able to be the partner I want to be.’

He turned around to face her. A quick glance downward told her that he’d managed to rid himself of his boner. Even though she knew he wouldn’t have let her try anything, she was still disappointed. She still felt hot and itching for him.

‘I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘I shouldn’t have kissed you. I shouldn’t have…’ He took a deep breath. ‘I gave you mixed signals, and that’s all on me. I’m sorry. I hope we can leave this behind us.’ He glanced in the direction of the tunnel. ‘I should get back to town.’

Olivia nodded, trying to hide her emotions from shining out on her face. ‘Yeah. You go ahead. I have to check the integrity of the support beam.’

He hesitated. She knew it must be difficult for him to leave her behind when she was beaten up like this, but he must also be eager to get away from her after what had just happened between them.

‘If you’re not at your workshop in two hours, I’m coming back to get you,’ he promised.

‘I expect nothing else,’ Olivia muttered, lowering her gaze.

And with that, Arlo turned on his heel and left her alone on the rocky ground.


	4. Noble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Arlo tries really hard not to be a wuss.

Arlo gritted his teeth. Sweat ran down his forehead and into his eyes, his hands hurt like hell and he was panting so hard his head was swimming. But as long as he kept going, he could keep himself from thinking of… those things he shouldn’t be thinking of.

_Shit._

With a furious yell, he kicked up and around with his foot as hard as he could. But apparently that was more than his training dummy could stand, because its head flew off and almost hit Remington, who was just coming down the stairs from his room. He ducked in the nick of time, staring at the metal head as it thumped down the steps and came to a stop on the wooden floor.

‘Jeez, Arlo,’ he said. ‘Will you take a break? You’ve been at it for hours.’

‘I need to get in shape for the entrance exam,’ Arlo argued, continuing to punch the chest of the now headless dummy.

Remington grabbed his right wrist in the air, keeping him from throwing another punch. Arlo gave him a sour look.

‘I don’t keep _you_ from working toward your goals.’

‘That’s because I’ve never tried to kill myself doing it.’

Remington released him, but only to pull the dummy off its stand and drag it away.

‘I’m throwing this poor thing away,’ he said when Arlo tried to complain. ‘You can commission a new one.’

_Commission._

The word hit him like a flying brick, and soon after came a mental image that he’d been trying to rid himself of for the past week. A beat-up Olivia on the rocky ground in Ingall’s Mine. Her blue eyes opening when he stopped patting her cheek with the antiseptic tissue. Her lips parting to exhale his name just before he kissed her…

‘Fuck!’ he exclaimed, kicking the wall where the training dummy had stood.

‘Hey, calm the hell down,’ Remington said behind him. ‘What’s wrong with you? You’ve acted weird this whole week.’

Arlo ran his hands through his hair, taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself down. ‘It’s nothing. Just nerves.’ He turned around.

The other man cocked his head to his side, studying him. ‘Do you want to resign?’

‘What? No!’

‘So you like being the Captain of the Civil Corps?’

‘Why wouldn’t I?’

‘Answer the question.’

Arlo clenched his jaw. ‘Yes. I do.’

‘Then why are you getting all wound up? You either pass or fail,’ Remington said. ‘And if you fail, you get to stay here with us in Portia for another year. Is that so bad?’

This was so stupid. Sure, he was nervous about the entrance exam, but that’s not what was bugging him now. He couldn’t tell Remington about it, though; it was way too private, and he felt ashamed for even having the thoughts he had.

‘No,’ he muttered. ‘I love it here.’

‘There you go.’ Remington grabbed his shoulder. ‘It’s only a matter of time, Arlo. You’ll get into the Flying Pigs one day.’

Arlo shrugged and leaned back against the wall, staring down at his feet. ‘Maybe.’

‘Now go get yourself a new training dummy, Chief,’ his friend said with a smile. ‘One that can take your force.’

With that, Remington left him in the Civil Corps’ HQ. Arlo sighed. A new training dummy, huh… If things had been as usual, he would have asked Olivia to make one for him. But what was he supposed to do now? He couldn’t very well waltz up to her door like nothing had happened, could he?

Or maybe… Maybe that’s exactly what he needed to do. Maybe things could get back to normal if he acted like he wasn’t burning up from the inside. Olivia might have already moved past what had happened in the mine, and if that was the case, he was just being stupid. If it wasn’t the case… Maybe he could be the better man and lead them forward, out of the awkwardness he’d put them in.

Motivated by this new purpose, Arlo jumped in the shower, got dressed and made his way downtown.

He was so focused on his mission that he didn’t see Mint until he almost ran right into him. In the last second, Arlo swerved to the side, catching hold of the engineer’s elbow to stop him from face-planting into the ground as he stumbled onward down the path.

‘Whoa, there. What’s the hurry?’

Mint spun around, blinking at Arlo as if he had just now realized that he was even there. ‘Oh! I’m supposed to meet up with Olivia at her workshop, but um… I… fell asleep and lost track of time.’

Arlo arched an eyebrow. ‘Well, be a little more careful, will you? I don’t want anyone getting hurt.’

‘S-sure!’ Mint turned as if to leave, but then paused, his gaze lowered to Arlo’s side. ‘Is that a commission in your hand?’

Arlo clenched the paper in his fist. He raised it in front of him as if to ask, “ _This?_ ”, at which Mint nodded. ‘Yeah, it’s a commission. My training dummy…’ He trailed off. There was no need to share the story.

Mint tilted his head to the side. ‘Were you on your way to Olivia’s, too?’

‘It’s against the guild’s rules to hand out commissions freely,’ Arlo said. ‘All commissions are to be posted on the board.’

For a second, it almost seemed like Mint was about to argue, but he must have changed his mind. ‘Of course. How stupid of me.’

‘… Except in emergencies,’ Arlo added, hating himself for taking the easy way out. But with Mint on the way to Olivia… And the guild rules… And the fact that he was scared shitless… ‘And this is an emergency. But there’s somewhere I need to be right away, and since you’re already going to see her…’

‘You want me to bring it to her?’ Mint offered.

Just like that, Arlo’s nervousness evaporated. ‘Yes. I’d greatly appreciate it.’

Mint held out his hand. ‘It’s no problem.’

Arlo handed him the commission—hoping he wouldn’t read its contents—and gave a grateful smile. ‘Thanks. Well, gotta run.’

He escaped before Mint could see the embarrassment on his face. He should’ve gone to see Olivia himself. This was supposed to be a way to get over the weirdness between them. If only Mint hadn’t literally run into him… Damn it all. It would’ve all been over by now.

Why was this so hard? He wasn’t the type to get awkward around people. Yeah, sure, maybe he wasn’t very charismatic, but this was ridiculous. He and Olivia were friends; _close_ friends, even. And now, just because of one weak moment, he couldn’t even bear to see her?

He didn’t even know why he’d kissed her. He’d never gotten an impulse like that before, and he wasn’t even aware he’d considered her attractive… But when he’d cleaned the wounds on her face, and he’d felt her breath on his naked arm, something had come over him. And that moment had kept him awake for hours every night since then. It wasn’t just that they’d kissed… It was that _he_ had kissed _her,_ and it had been completely uncalled for, but she had kissed him back anyway. And not only that; she had pushed him into the ground, straddled him and said—no, _whined—_ that she wanted him.

The thought made his legs wobble, and he had to stop and support himself against the nearest wall. He leaned his shoulder against the rough surface of the bricks, closing his eyes and drawing in a trembling breath as he pictured Olivia’s desperate expression in front of him. She wanted him. Whether it had just been in the heat of the moment or went deeper than that, it was clear that in that cave, she had wanted him. And he had wanted her.

He had wanted her so badly he could barely think straight.

But with a sense of right and wrong so deeply ingrained into his consciousness, he had still been able to break it up. And that had been the right thing; there was no doubt about that. Going further than they did would’ve just ended in sorrow. There really was no way he could get into a relationship right now, and it was for the best to nip it in the bud rather than drag it out for just a single moment of satisfaction.

But then, why didn’t it feel like he’d made the right choice? Why did it feel like he’d done something very, very wrong?

He leaned his forehead against the wall. Why couldn’t he get Olivia out of his head? He’d decided not to pursue her, so thinking about what could have been was useless. He would train as hard as he could to get into the Flying Pigs, and when he finally did, he would leave Portia anyway. No use in getting too close to anyone; at least not romantically. It just wasn’t possible.

 _But you could probably be really happy with her,_ his brain whispered.

Wanting to escape his own thoughts, Arlo opened his eyes and looked around. The street was empty, except for Alice, who had just opened up her flower shop and watched him with a worried expression.

‘Are you okay?’ she asked, so quietly he could barely hear it.

He left the wall and strolled up to her little corner, gazing at the flowers as if considering which ones he should buy.

‘Just a dizzy spell,’ he said.

‘Do you want a glass of water? I can go get some for you, it’s no problem.’

He glanced at her and saw her avert her gaze immediately. ‘Thank you, Alice, but I’ll be fine.’ In an attempt to make her feel less self-conscious, he smiled. ‘These flowers are beautiful. You really have green fingers.’

As he had thought, she perked up at the mention of her flowers. She returned her smile, even daring to look him in the eyes. ‘Thank you! Would you like to buy some?’

He looked back at her bouquets, considering. ‘Yes,’ he said, ‘I would.’

 

* * *

 

‘Arlo really said it was an emergency?’

Olivia looked up from the sheet of paper in her hands to give Mint a confused look. He wasn’t looking at her; he had laid out a large blueprint on her kitchen table and was leaning over it now, scribbling notes in one of the corners.

‘Uh-huh,’ he said distractedly.

She looked back down at the commission with a frown. Being without a training dummy was an emergency? She understood that it was useful to him in his training, but an emergency? Really?

‘Maybe you misheard him?’ she suggested.

Mint turned his head to look at her. ‘I’m pretty sure I didn’t,’ he said. ‘Why? Is something wrong?’

She shook her head as she rolled up the sheet of paper again. ‘Never mind. Let’s get to work.’ She paused. ‘Do you want some juice?’

‘Yeah, sure.’

Olivia turned and opened the refrigerator. She went on autopilot as she brought out the juice and poured it into two glasses.

She hadn’t talked to Arlo for a week. She’d seen him a couple of times, crossing Peach Plaza together with Sam and Remington or zipping past her workshop on his horse once or twice. Maybe he had been unusually busy, but it still made her wary that he hadn’t come to talk yet. She’d assumed he would want to discuss what had happened in Ingall’s Mine, or at least check up on her to make sure she was fine after the run-in with the AI, but no. Nothing. Not a word, not a glance, not even a letter in the mail.

‘Did he… say anything else?’ she asked Mint. ‘Anything about me?’

She had her back turned to him, but she could hear the curiosity clearly in his voice when he replied, ‘No. Is there a reason he should have?’

Raising one of the glasses to her lips, she procrastinated her answer for as long as she could. She and Mint had worked on a couple of Portia’s projects together in the past month, and they had quickly realized that they could use each other as sounding boards in other projects as well, but they weren’t close by any means. Being too specific with him about Arlo might not be a good idea.

‘There was… an incident,’ she decided on. ‘Last week. I haven’t heard from him since.’

‘An incident? In the mine?’

Olivia tensed. ‘… Yes.’

‘What happened?’

Slowly, she turned around to face him. He had straightened beside the table and was giving her his full attention, head tilted slightly to the side. Damn it, she hadn’t meant for it to go in this direction.

‘It was nothing big,’ she said. ‘We had a… disagreement.’

Mint nodded, seemingly satisfied with her explanation. ‘He didn’t seem angry. He was on his way to give you the commission himself, so I don’t think you have to worry.’ He turned back to the blueprint. ‘Besides, isn’t Arlo supposed to be this noble guy? That’s what I heard, anyway. He probably wouldn’t keep grudges and be all petty.’

‘I guess you’re right,’ she murmured, but she still didn’t feel convinced. This was more than just a simple argument; he was clearly avoiding her. And she was pretty sure she knew why.

Mint was right: Arlo was noble. Maybe a little _too_ noble, making him almost ridiculously righteous sometimes. Olivia had seen another side of him in the mine, if only for a short moment, and that side—that out-of-control, loose side with those deliciously dark eyes—had made her realize that what she felt for Arlo went far beyond a mere crush. It had given her an appetite for more.

But what had that moment given Arlo, except angst and guilt? Had he come to realize the same thing that she had, or was that overly noble part of him determined not to give in to his desires?

For now, it didn’t look promising. For now, it looked like maybe they could neither move on to new ground nor go back to what had been before.

 

* * *

 

Mint stayed for a little over an hour, and then the rest of the day continued like any other. She didn’t see Arlo all day, and when she casually asked Sam about it, she said he was out in the desert, checking out some kind of disturbance. So maybe he wasn’t purposefully avoiding her—at least not that day.  

At 10 in the evening, just when she was about to head out to the Abandoned Ruins to mine some iron ore, there was a knock on her door. She opened it and found herself face to face with the Captain of the Civil Corps himself. Before she could say anything, he brought out a bouquet of Asteria from behind his back.

‘I’m sorry,’ he said, head bowed in shame. ‘I should have come sooner.’

She hesitantly took the bouquet, studying the flowers’ petals. ‘Why didn’t you?’

He took a moment to answer. She didn’t look at him, but she could see him fiddle with his fingerless gloves out of the corner of her eye.

‘I… didn’t know what to say.’

She looked up. He caught her gaze, his eyebrows low. For a moment, they stood in complete silence, just looking into each other’s eyes. She felt her shoulders relax. Strange how even after what had happened between them, he could still make her feel so safe just by being near her.

‘Thank you for the flowers,’ she whispered.

Arlo gave her a hesitant smile. ‘I hope you can forgive me.’

What was it that he wanted her to forgive him for? Was it that he had avoided her without reason, or was it the kiss? Knowing Arlo, it was probably the latter, and that made her all the more frustrated.

‘Arlo, I don’t know if you noticed, but I actually kissed you back.’

His smile faded. ‘I… know.’

‘What I mean is, if you’re apologizing for the kiss, please don’t.’

Arlo looked at her for a long moment. ‘It’s not really about the kiss in itself,’ he said then. ‘It’s about… giving you the wrong idea.’

‘What if I don’t need a relationship?’

Time froze and so did Arlo. Olivia’s heart thumped inside her chest; it was the only thing that convinced her reality hadn’t just been torn apart by her words.

He stared at her so openly and bluntly that it took all of her willpower not to flinch and look away.

‘I beg your pardon?’

She clenched her hands into tight fists, refusing to back down. ‘You keep saying you can’t be in a relationship. Well, what if I don’t need one? What if…’ She hesitated, then pushed on through. ‘What if I just want something casual?’

Arlo was still tense, still wide-eyed. He barely even seemed to breathe.

Olivia looked down at the bouquet again. ‘I get that you’re a busy man. I’m a busy woman, too.’ Taking a deep breath, she looked back up at him and faced his gaze head-on. ‘But we’re obviously attracted to each other, so why fight it?’

If she hadn’t stared back at him as hard as he did at her, she might not have noticed how his eyebrows trembled as they pulled into a frown; she might not have seen the muscles in his cheeks tense as he clenched his jaw. But she did.

‘It’s getting late,’ he said. ‘I gotta go.’

And before she could even open her mouth, he turned on his heel and strode off into the night.


	5. Casual

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Arlo asks for advice from an unlikely source.

Arlo dodged out of the way as a Redrat sent a wave of fire toward him, then rolled behind it to slice its legs before it could turn around. It collapsed in a heap, and Arlo quickly delivered a final blow to its heart before ducking as a Bandirat leapt for his head. Its large pipe touched his hair as the rat swung it above him. Arlo used his momentum to sweep his right leg around, catching the Bandirat’s shin with his foot. His sword had separated the animal’s head from its body before it landed on the ground.

‘Chief!’ Sam yelped from across the room.

Arlo spun around toward the noise just in time to see his fellow officer get shoved to the ground and overrun by a group of Bandirats. His feet pushed off from the ground even as his hands reached for the throwing knives strapped to his belt. He launched two knives at the two Bandirats closest to Sam—she flinched as one of the knives caught a rat in the eye, splattering blood all over her—then finished the last three off with a wide arc of his sword. He took a quick look around and sheathed his sword when he saw that they were alone.

‘You okay?’ he panted as he helped Sam up on her feet.

She wiped some blood from her cheek. ‘Yeah. Thanks.’

‘We should get out of here and come back with reinforcements tomorrow. I had no idea this place would be crawling with rats.’

‘I’ll ask Remy and Liv,’ Sam said, following Arlo back the way they had come from.

He clenched his jaw. ‘Olivia’s not a Civil Corps officer.’

‘It’s not like we have an abundance of fighters to choose between. I’m sure she’d be happy to help.’

‘I guess it can’t hurt to ask,’ he sighed.

When they exited the cave, Sam stretched her arms as far up into the air as she could and let out a satisfied groan. ‘I really need a drink.’ She lowered her arms and glanced at her wrist watch. ‘If we take the next Dee-Dee Transport, we’ll be back in town before The Round Table closes.’

‘You might want to change clothes first.’

Sam laughed and patted him on the back. ‘That’ll take no time at all. So what do you say; you up for a drink? It’s on me.’

Arlo considered the offer. He had planned to shut himself in his bedroom and fall unconscious, but a glass of something strong didn’t seem like a horrible alternative. Both options presented a well-needed opportunity to escape his own thoughts.

‘Why not.’

 

* * *

 

While Sam ducked into the HQ to change clothes and wash off the blood, Arlo went ahead to The Round Table. The town was quiet this late at night, but as he reached the fountain in the middle of Peach Plaza, the doors to the restaurant opened, letting out a warm cacophony of music, laughter and loud conversation as two people left the building together.

Sonia had her arm hooked around Albert’s and was giggling at something he had just said. Arlo stopped a little ways off, watching the pair as they strolled out onto the plaza. He knew the two had been seeing each other lately—Sam had shared that little tidbit with him over breakfast a couple of weeks ago—but he’d never seen them with his own two eyes.

‘Oh,’ Sonia exclaimed suddenly, releasing Albert’s arm. ‘I forgot my satchel! Be right back!’

She zipped back into the restaurant, leaving Albert by the edge of the plaza. The man was smiling as he looked up at the starry night-sky, sighing contentedly before lowering his head again to look around. His gaze landed on Arlo, standing in the shadows.

‘Good evening,’ he said, grinning.

Arlo crossed his arms as he slowly walked closer, glancing at the door to the restaurant. ‘Leaving already?’

‘Oh, yes. I’m spending my night… elsewhere.’

He winked, then locked his hands behind his back, leaning backward to stretch. Arlo watched with disinterest. He had a responsibility to protect all Portians, but he’d never really gotten along with Albert. It wasn’t that Albert was a bad person in any shape or form; he was just… very different from Arlo.

But as he watched Albert bring out a little pocket mirror and study his own reflection with a smile that could only be described as “self-absorbed”, something clicked in his brain.

‘Hey, Albert,’ he said, uncrossing his arms.

Albert didn’t look away from his mirror. ‘Hm?’

‘You’re a successful businessman, but you still have time for romance. How is that?’

Albert laughed heartily. ‘Oh, Arlo!’

Arlo scowled. ‘What?’

Still laughing, the other man walked up to Arlo and clapped him on the shoulder. ‘This isn’t romance, mate. It’s just a casual thing.’

Arlo blinked at him. ‘Casual,’ he repeated. That word seemed to be haunting him.

‘Yes!’ Albert winked. ‘There’s nothing serious between me and Sonia. Neither of us wants anything more than a casual relationship. That’s how I make it work. I would never have gotten this far if I hadn’t stayed single. Relationships are hard work, you know.’

Arlo looked away. Yeah. They were hard work. That’s why he’d never even bothered trying to reconcile his work with a partner.

Albert wrapped an arm around Arlo’s shoulders and pulled him closer. His breath smelled of alcohol. ‘Listen to me, mate,’ he said in a low voice. ‘If you want to get somewhere in life, don’t chase after love. You can’t have both, so choose wisely.’

Arlo shook him off and crossed his arms again. ‘I’ll keep that in mind,’ he said warily.

Albert laughed again. ‘You do that!’

The door to the restaurant opened and Sonia burst out, jumping Albert from behind. He caught her easily, holding her legs by his sides as she wrapped both arms around his neck and laughed. Then she noticed Arlo watching them.

‘Would you like to join us, Captain?’ she drawled.

He forced a smile. ‘Thanks for the offer, Sonia, but no thank you.’

She winked. ‘Another time?’ Turning forward again, she tapped Albert on his shoulders. ‘Take me home, my stallion!’

Arlo watched Albert half-gallop, half-stumble out across Peach Plaza. He’d seen some strange things in this town, but this had to take the prize.

He sighed and glanced at the door. A faint sound of music and laughing voices reached his ears from inside. Sam had said she would be quick, but he doubted it would be easy to get all of that blood out of her hair. Maybe he should go inside and get a drink while he waited.

He hadn’t planned to order liquor, but when Django asked him if he wanted something to drink, he heard himself order it nonetheless. Django raised his eyebrows as he prepared the drink. ‘Rough night, huh?’

Arlo leaned an elbow against the bar and ran a hand through his already ruffled hair. ‘Rough week, more like,’ he muttered.

He received his glass and took a sip right away, grimacing at the taste. He wasn’t used to stuff as strong as this, but the ice cold heat that slipped down into his stomach and shot straight back up to his head was exactly what he needed. Leaning his head back, he closed his eyes and tried to focus on the background sounds of the restaurant, but the same damn thoughts kept slipping into his mind nonetheless.

Olivia had really taken him off guard last night with her “What if I just want something casual?” comment. Whatever he had expected, that response was far from it, and so he’d panicked and fled with his tail between his legs. What a pathetic reaction. He’d thought about it a lot since then—while lying awake in bed, on his morning run, during his and Sam’s trek into the cave, while decapitating rats—and there were so many things he wished he could have done instead.

One of them was to politely decline her offer. He was still the Captain of the Civil Corps, and as such, he couldn’t allow himself to be distracted from his duty. But that excuse was bullshit, really.

Another alternative was to stick with his argument about having no time for a relationship, but she’d effectively popped that little bubble when she told him she didn’t need one. So that one was bust, too.

Then there was the option that his brain kept returning to even though he tried to lock it away in the deepest parts of his mind: What if he had pulled her to him right then and there, covered her mouth with his and thrown all his reservations out the window?

Even as he thought about it now, his heart started pounding harder in his chest. In his mind, he saw a forbidden scene play out where he pushed Olivia up against a wall and held her hands in place above her head while going to town on her neck. He saw—almost felt—her squirm against him, her lips parting in a silent plea—

‘Arlo?’

The clear, innocent voice beside him was so unexpected that he choked on his drink and had to cough violently. He slammed his fist into his chest, peering through his tears at the wide-eyed girl who had taken a seat on the chair next to him.

‘Nora,’ he croaked out. ‘Hey.’

‘Are you alright?’ she asked, lowering her eyebrows.

He coughed one last time before turning to face her fully. ‘Yeah, yeah. You surprised me, that’s all.’ He gave her a quick once-over. ‘You having a late dinner?’

Nora nodded, her face still showing signs of hesitation. ‘Minister Lee and I celebrated that I’ve been here for a year today. We were just about to leave when I saw you, so I told him to go ahead without me.’

Arlo slapped his own forehead. ‘Oh damn! That’s today! Congrats.’ He glanced at his own drink. ‘You want something? It’s on me.’

‘I don’t drink alcohol.’

He stared at her. Of course she didn’t drink alcohol; he knew that. Where was his mind tonight? _That’s easy: in the gutter._

‘There are other things on the menu,’ he said.

She gave him a soft smile. ‘It’s fine, though. I’m really tired, I think I’m going to go home. I just wanted to say hi.’

‘Do you want me to go with you? It’s pretty late.’

‘I’ll be fine, it’s just across the plaza.’ Her smile grew wider for a moment. ‘But thank you for offering.’

Despite his low mood, he forced a smile back. ‘Well. Good night, then.’

‘Good night,’ she said as she jumped off the chair. ‘See you on Wednesday?’

‘You betcha.’

She smiled again before turning around and heading for the door. He looked after her until she disappeared outside, then raised his glass and emptied it in a few large gulps. Django caught the movement from where he was collecting a glass from a tourist at the other end of the bar. ‘You alrighty there, Arlo?’

Arlo just gave a thumbs up with one hand. Not knowing what else to do, he brought out his multi-function knife and started playing with it in his right hand while resting his chin in the other. It was just slightly harder with the liquor in his system, which meant it was a perfect distraction from his obnoxious thoughts. He almost wished Nora would have stayed for a while; maybe this night could have turned out fine in the end. He liked talking to her.

With a sigh, he looked over his left shoulder at the other people in the restaurant. They were mostly tourists; his fellow Portians had jobs to wake up to in the morning, and it was getting late. The Round Table usually closed at 10 PM, but Django sometimes delayed the closing hour if enough people were still enjoying themselves. When Arlo glanced at the nearest clock now, he realized that he must have been absorbed by his own thoughts for longer than he’d thought, because it was now 10:30. And still no Sam around. She probably took too long to get ready and figured the restaurant would have closed by now.

He turned back around just as a hand reached in from his right and snatched the knife from him, mid-motion. His reflexes kicked in and made him grab the wrist of the perpetrator, only to get a small heart attack when he saw who it was.

‘Olivia,’ he breathed as the knife clattered to the floor.

She glanced down at his hand, which he now pulled back faster than lightning.

‘So this is where you spend your evenings, huh?’ she asked.

‘Not usually,’ he said, nervously drumming his fingers against the bar. ‘Sam stood me up.’

His brain did still work in her vicinity, at least. Good to know.

Olivia frowned. ‘She stood you up?’

He made a nonchalant handwave. ‘Eh, I think she gave up on cleaning off all the blood.’ When he saw the look on her face, he added, ‘Bandirat, not hers.’

‘Oh.’

Olivia bent down to pick up the knife from the floor, and as she did, her shirt slipped down along her back and revealed a sliver of smooth skin above the waistband of her skirt. Arlo looked away.

‘Can I get another one?’ he asked Django, fishing up a handful of Gol from his satchel.

The glass stood in front of him when Olivia straightened again. She ran a hand through her hair to get it out of her face, then sat down on the chair where Nora had just been.

‘I’ll have the same.’

Arlo glanced at her. She was there to stay, then. And he’d just ordered an entire glass of liquor for himself. Great.

Olivia handed him the knife. ‘Sam didn’t show, so you’re here drunk-playing with knives.’

He arched an eyebrow. ‘I’ve had one glass. And I’m not planning on staying for much longer.’

‘Too bad,’ she said. ‘I’m curious to see what happens to the noble Captain of the Civil Corps when he loosens up and lets go.’

She gave him a smirk that made his heart skip a beat. What was she trying to do, kill him?

Before he even knew what he was doing, he heard himself say,

‘Stay, and maybe you’ll find out.’

He could have imagined it, but it almost sounded like she drew for air.

Now what was _he_ trying to do? Was he flirting with her? He returned his attention to his glass of liquor, raising it to his lips in an attempt to hide how flustered he felt.

‘How’s it going with Nora?’

Now that was a question he hadn’t expected her to ask. Wary of her intentions, he slowly lowered his glass.

‘I’m pretty sure she’s fine,’ he said. ‘Why?’

‘I saw you two talking before I joined you. It looked like a pleasant conversation.’ She swirled the liquid around in her glass. Her voice had a casual tone, as if she was discussing the weather. ‘Did you decide what to do about her?’

If he hadn’t known better, he’d say Olivia was fishing for information. But… if she was…

His brain hatched an idea, and for the first time in a long while, he felt like he had regained a little of his lost control.

‘I don’t know,’ he said, trying to sound as relaxed as her. ‘Nora is attractive, and she’s into me. Whatever happens, happens.’

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Olivia clench her jaw. ‘I didn’t peg Nora as a “whatever happens” kind of girl.’

Feeling smug, he turned his head to look straight at Olivia and give her one of his best smirks. ‘Oh, looks are deceiving. Nora can be very… decisive.’ At the last word, he leaned a smidge closer to her and lowered his voice.

For a long moment, Olivia just stared at him. He kept looking into her eyes, one corner of his mouth twitching as he tried to keep himself from grinning. Was it really working? Had he really managed to make Olivia jealous? Of _Nora?_

But then something seemed to click in her brain, and she regained control of her face.

‘You like decisive girls, then?’

And then, in a single move that made Arlo instantly lose his upper hand again, Olivia placed a hand on his thigh. His smirk melted off in less than a second.

‘I, uh…’

He hated the satisfied little smile that pulled at her lips then. He hated how she’d managed to turn the entire situation upside down that easily. And maybe it was this strong feeling of “oh no you don’t” that gave him enough courage to do what he did next. He covered her hand with his, and then, squeezing lightly, he dragged it further up along his own thigh. His gaze caught hers just as she parted her lips in surprise.

‘I figure people who know what they want are the best lovers,’ he murmured. ‘Don’t you think?’

Her cheeks colored almost instantly, but she didn’t attempt to remove her hand. ‘I… never thought of it like that.’

Spurred on by her reaction, Arlo leaned in closer to her; so close that his lips almost touched her earlobe. ‘Come to think of it,’ he began in a low murmur, ‘you are a decisive woman, aren’t you?’

He could feel her shiver next to him. As he pulled back, she gave him a look that was uncharacteristically desperate.

‘Arlo,’ she breathed, squeezing his thigh on her own volition.

He glanced at her lips, his thoughts already wandering toward gutter territory again. ‘Yes?’

‘Come.’

She turned the hand on his leg around to grab his hand and pull him with her away from the bar, away from their chairs, away from the last remnant of reality, and as she burst through the front door, Arlo thought he could hear Django chuckle—but that must have just been his imagination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So you thought my Arlo was just a socially awkward nerd? Oh, he can TOTALLY be smooth when he's in the right mood. ;]
> 
> Next chapter coming soon... hoo boy.


	6. Decisive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I think you guys already know what's gonna happen here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo... I wasn't going to, but I think it's for the best here to change the rating to Explicit, because this turned out... well. (It's not super explicit, but it's pretty darn mature, at least. ^_~ You have been warned.)

Considering that they were both a little drunk as well as high on each other, Arlo was grateful Olivia managed to keep it together until the door to her workshop had closed behind them.

He was also glad that she didn’t keep it together for a second longer than that.

With the lights off, only the faint streams of light from the windows allowed him to see the hunger on her face before she came for him. She pushed him into a wall with such force that the sheathed sword strapped to his back dug into him and the air rushed out of his lungs, but her hands were already fumbling with the zipper on his jacket. She stood on tiptoe, angling her face up toward him, then cursed when she found that she was still too short. Arlo just barely had the time to get out a low chuckle before she grabbed hold of the lapels of his jacket and jerked him down to her lips.

She tasted of liquor and heat, her lips soft yet determined against his. She touched her tongue against his bottom lip, and he responded with parting his lips and meeting her halfway. The soft moan she let out when he grabbed her waist and pulled her closer muddled his brain, intoxicating him and leaving him wanting more, and he couldn’t help tugging at her lip with his teeth and letting out a low groan of his own.

‘You feel amazing,’ he mumbled against her lips, and Olivia responded by gasping and pushing him up against the wall again, deepening the kiss.

As their kisses grew more and more intense—more and more desperate—their breaths started coming in short bursts, mixing together in their mouths until Arlo didn’t know which ones were hers and which were his. Olivia fumbled with the strap that held his sword in place, cursing against his lips when she couldn’t get it off. He took her hands in his and relished in one more kiss before breaking away from her lips.

‘Let me help you with that,’ he murmured with a smile, letting go of her hands to reach up and unbuckle the clasps on his chest. He looked at her intently, panting slightly as he removed the strap along with the sheathed sword from his back and leaned it against the wall beside him. Her eyes followed his every move, dark and impatient. It made his blood boil, but he forced himself to stay in control.

He reached out and touched her cheek with his fingertips, tracing the line of her jawbone down to her chin, where he paused for a moment. Olivia held his gaze as he slowly leaned in, only to stop less than an inch away from her lips. She let out a silent gasp.

‘Is this what you want?’ he murmured, his gaze slipping down to her lips. She had dug her teeth into her bottom lip, as if to keep herself from kissing him. His free hand found her hip, his thumb circling the naked skin between her top and her skirt. ‘For us to be…’ He let out a hot breath against her lips. ‘… casual?’

She released her lip from her teeth, and he could hear that her breathing was getting heavier. ‘I think I’ve been pretty clear about what I want,’ she whispered.

He smirked. ‘And what is that, again?’

Her eyes darkened. ‘Oh, we’re playing that game?’

‘We are,’ he murmured, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. ‘You know I like a decisive woman… Why don’t you tell me again what you want?’

For a short moment, she just glared at him. Then she seemed to realize that she had no choice. She placed her hands on his chest, her pinky fingers slipping in beneath his uniform jacket.

‘I want you to take me.’

‘Yeah?’ he breathed. ‘Still pretty unspecific, don’t you think?’

Her hands moved upward, pushing his jacket up toward his shoulders. ‘I want you to take me by storm,’ she murmured. ‘Fuck me up and leave me breathless. Make me beg you for more.’ When he swallowed in response, she smiled and added, ‘I’m sure you’ve thought about what you want to do with me… Haven’t you, Captain?’

She slipped the jacket off his shoulders, then pushed it down along his arms, letting it fall to the floor. Arlo tensed his muscles as she ran her nails along his skin, all the way up to his biceps.

‘I may have some ideas,’ he confessed.

‘I thought so.’ She moved her hands to his hips, then slipped them up right beneath the edge of his t-shirt. He shivered slightly at her touch. ‘You’re so used to giving orders all the time… It can be really freaking annoying, you know.’

He cocked an eyebrow. ‘You have a problem with authority, Builder?’

Olivia flashed him a smile before leaning in closer, tilting her head up to look him in the eyes as she ran her hands further up beneath his t-shirt. ‘Not really,’ she said in a low voice. ‘While your bossiness can be obnoxious at times… That confidence of yours also makes you _disgustingly_ attractive.’

Arlo groaned, his patience evaporating in an instant. He pushed away from the wall, taking her by surprise as he backed her into the corner and slammed his left palm into the wall next to her head. ‘You like to be bossed around, yeah?’ he murmured, grabbing hold of her hip with his other hand. ‘Let’s find out.’

He leaned in and covered her mouth with his as he pushed his knee in between her legs. Her thighs were hot around him, and he wanted to be closer; he _needed_ to be. Olivia squirmed against his body, her hands trapped against his chest as he kissed her like this was his last chance to be with her before the world ended, before the next Age of Darkness, before they were swallowed whole and buried in ruins; and she gasped into his mouth when he traced his fingers along her side, letting the fabric of her top ride up to reveal more hot skin; and their kisses grew hotter, grew deeper, grew more desperate the longer they went on, and Arlo was swept away by the incredible rush of being so close to the one person in Portia he just hadn’t been able to get out of his head for weeks.

But his neck was starting to ache, and so he bent his knees and grabbed hold of her hips, hoisting her up and guiding her legs around his back. She eagerly locked her feet together behind him as he continued to push her against the wall, fingernails dragging across the skin on her naked legs as he ran his hands further up toward the edge of her skirt. She pulled away from his lips to gasp when he reached the skin beneath the fabric, and the moan she gave when his fingers met with the edge of her panties made his head spin. He bit playfully into her lower lip, then left her mouth to kiss his way along her jawbone instead.

‘You drive me crazy, Olivia,’ he breathed, his hands squeezing her naked thighs.

Olivia gasped again. She brought her own hands further up beneath his t-shirt, making the fabric ride up with them. Arlo shivered from her touch. He had reached her ear now, and as he kissed the earlobe, he lifted her slightly up and pulled her against him, then back down, and up again, and he repeated that movement again and again, relishing in the friction it created between them.

She let out a shrill moan every time he pulled her up against him, matching his own subdued groans.

‘Fuck, Arlo,’ she panted, her nails digging into his chest.

He returned his lips to her jaw, then to her mouth as he started adding to the delicious pressure between them by repeatedly pushing his own hips up against her. Apparently that was the right thing to do, because her moans grew louder and more desperate, making him go more and more insane with desire until he couldn’t stand it any longer.

He left the wall, holding her up against him as he stumbled through the room in search of a place to sit her down, which wasn’t an easy feat, considering how dark it was and how glued they were to each other’s lips. His toe caught on something, and that something rattled and crashed to the floor; he pulled away for a moment to see what it was, but she immediately grabbed his cheeks and pulled him back.

‘Fuck that,’ she mumbled against his lips.

‘I’d rather fuck you,’ he shot back.

His comment made her groan, and he wasn’t sure if it was in pleasure or annoyance, but frankly, he didn’t care much, because he’d just stumbled into something he could use—her kitchen table. He let her down onto the hard surface, then pushed her down on her back, lips still locked with hers. Supporting his weight on his elbows on either side of her, he let their kisses grow and transform into something a lot more sloppy and sensual, and it reminded him of why he’d left that wall to begin with.

Without letting up the kissing, he tugged the fingerless gloves off his hands and dropped them to the floor, then switched his weight over to his right elbow and moved his left hand downward, to her knee. To the sound of an anticipatory gasp from Olivia, he firmly parted her legs, then traced his fingers up along the inside of her thigh and up beneath her skirt.

‘Arlo,’ she breathed, grasping at his t-shirt.

‘Too bossy for you?’ he teased in a low voice.

The tips of his fingers grazed the moist fabric between her legs, earning him a short moan.

‘Please,’ she whined against his lips. ‘Please, keep going, Arlo...’

‘Yeah?’ he breathed. ‘You sure?’

His fingers grazed the fabric again, and she whimpered.

‘Yes! _Please!_ ’

She tried to kiss him, but he pulled away, staying just out of reach. He smirked when he saw the frustration in her eyes.

‘But I like you like this,’ he murmured, just above her lips. ‘And I’m pretty sure I’m the one in charge here, no?’

He let his fingertips move further to the side, this time so that they grazed her right at the edge of her panties.

‘Arlo,’ she complained breathlessly.

‘Yes, Olivia?’

She moaned in what sounded like part pleasure, part exasperation.

Slowly, so slowly it was torturous even for him, he moved his index finger up beneath her panties and hooked its tip around the moist fabric, pulling the bottom out slightly. He studied Olivia’s face—a healthy red and flustered—while he twisted his hand a little and unfolded his middle finger, letting the tip graze her wetness. She whimpered.

‘Fuck, Olivia,’ he groaned, leaning his forehead against hers. ‘You are so wet.’

‘Please,’ she pleaded, squirming beneath him.

‘Hush, darling,’ he whispered. ‘Let me enjoy this.’

His finger grazed her again, making her back arch in reaction. She was panting beneath him now, her eyes dark and glazed over, and Arlo couldn’t get enough of seeing her this out of control. But he didn’t want to push his luck.

He parted his lips, mimicking her silent moan as he slowly pushed his middle finger inside her, only stopping when his knuckles stopped him from going farther. Her eyes were wide, but she was holding her breath, which he didn’t like.

‘Olivia,’ he murmured. ‘Breathe.’

She made a sincere attempt, he had to give her that, but she only managed some ragged panting. Okay, so, another tactic.

‘You can do better,’ he taunted her. ‘Or do you want me to stop?’

He slowly started pulling out his finger, at which Olivia grabbed hold of his left arm and gave him a pleading look. ‘I’ll breathe,’ she whispered, then took a deep breath. ‘See?’

Arlo grinned. ‘Good.’

He twisted his finger inside her, and then, with his palm facing up, he made a “come here” motion. Olivia let out the longest, most devout moan he had ever heard and probably ever _would_ hear, and the sound was so attractive to him that he just couldn’t help kissing her, and _hard_.

He kept making the same motion, steadily but not too fast, and her moans just grew in strength until she was almost screaming. He stopped kissing her and switched his weight, moving his right elbow up beside her head. Then he clasped his hand over her mouth and leaned in to kiss her throat instead.

She continued moaning so intensely that he could feel the vibrations against his palm. He might have told her to be quiet if it hadn’t been for the fact that he absolutely didn’t want her to be; he could probably climax just by listening to the incredible sounds she made.

‘Who taught you to moan like this?’ he asked between kisses.

She mumbled something against his hand, so he removed it to let her speak.

‘You,’ she breathed with a cheeky smile, ‘in my fantasies.’

Arlo gasped. _Oh shit._

‘Okay then,’ he said. ‘That’s it. You’re going to get properly fucked.’

He carefully pulled his finger out, then straightened and moved downward to get down on his knees in front of her.

‘Arlo,’ she panted when she no doubt realized what he was about to do.

‘Yes, Olivia?’

She wove her fingers together with his hair, gasping as his left hand grazed the sensitive skin just above her hip. ‘Is… is this okay?’

Arlo raised his eyebrows, smiling. ‘Liv… This is more than okay. This is exactly what I want.’ He paused to place a kiss on her thigh, without breaking eye contact. ‘Can I?’

Olivia moaned in anticipation. ‘Yes,’ she breathed. ‘Please.’

His smile widened into a grin. ‘My pleasure.’

Heart pounding, he grabbed hold of the edge of her panties and tugged them down, pulling them all the way to her shins and then off completely. Then he leaned in and planted a kiss against the inside of her thigh, moaning quietly when he felt the scent of her. A jumbled mix of dirty words ran through his mind, but he chose to voice none of them, because deep, deep inside, the noble part of him was still alive and kicking, and that Arlo had to draw the line _somewhere._

He exhaled a hot breath against her, earning another moan from above, and then, after slowly pushing his finger inside of her again, he leaned in closer and kissed her right above that finger, sighing softly at her taste—it riled him up even more than he already was. He started sucking rhythmically, then changed the movement of his finger to pump in and out, slowly at first but then faster as her breathing sped up. He listened closely to her reactions to determine how intense he should be, what he should do next, what she seemed to enjoy more, until she was basically a whimpering mess on the table.

‘Arlo,’ she panted, ‘I’m going to come.’

He briefly considered stopping right then and there, just so he could drag it out, but he decided that this probably wasn’t the time to be teasing her, and so he kept on doing exactly the same as before, only this time, he used his free hand to raise her legs up onto his shoulders, then carefully lifted up her butt to give his finger a better angle. She responded by letting out a long string of unintelligible sounds, almost like he had broken her. He let up the kissing for a moment.

‘You okay?’ he mumbled.

‘Mm-hm!’ she whimpered, the fingers in his hair pushing him back in between her legs.

He let out an amused breath, then returned to kissing her again. His finger was getting tired, but there was no way he could stop now; he kept pumping, kept kissing, kept moaning against her to create the right kind of vibration, and after a long moment of her moans and whimpers steadily rising in intensity, she tensed up, then let out a loud, desperate moan as her legs started trembling and her inside cramped up and clenched his finger. It lasted for about ten seconds; and then it took only a short moment before it started again, shorter this time; and it happened a third time too before Olivia breathlessly told him to “get up here”.

Arlo carefully pulled his finger out, removed her legs from his shoulders and went back to lean over her, this time supporting himself on his palms. He grinned when he saw the look on her face: flustered, hot, eyes glazed over.

He panted together with her for a while, listening to her cursing below her breath. Then, when things had calmed down again, she cleared her throat.

‘Where the fuck have you learned how to do that, Arlo?’

Her tone was almost accusatory. He arched an eyebrow in amusement.

‘I take that as a compliment.’

‘I’m serious. Which Portia cougar has managed to dig her claws into you?’

‘Portia cougar?’ he asked, his smile fading.

‘There’s no way you’d know how to do all of that unless you’ve been doing it with someone experienced,’ she said. ‘Was it Phyllis? She told me she thinks you’re good-looking.’

‘It’s no one from here,’ he said before he could catch himself; then, frowning when he realized what she had just said, ‘Wait, what? Phyllis said that?’

Olivia raised an eyebrow at him.

He shook his head. ‘It doesn’t matter.’ Changing the subject in a way that he wanted to be absolutely obvious, he continued, ‘So how are you feeling?’

She stared at him for a long moment. _Leave it,_ he thought as he looked back at her. _We don’t want to go down that rabbit hole._ And to his relief, she gave up on her interrogation. Her gaze left his face and wandered downward, and her hands followed soon after, lazily tugging at his t-shirt.

‘How I feel?’ she asked, almost in a purr. ‘I feel like you should get out of this stupid thing.’

He closed his eyes, allowing himself a moment to just enjoy the way that her fingertips slid against the sensitive skin above the waistband of his jeans. ‘Mm-hm?’

While her left hand continued stroking his skin, her right one grabbed hold of the collar of his t-shirt and pulled him to her, stopping when his lips were less than an inch from hers. He parted his lips and let out a silent exhalation as she dug her fingernails into his hip bone.

‘And maybe,’ she continued, hooking one finger around the belt loops on his jeans, ‘these, too.’

Arlo groaned silently. He leaned his forehead against hers and opened his eyes to gaze into hers.

‘You know what I think?’ he murmured.

She shook her head almost imperceptibly, but he picked it up. Lowering himself closer to her body, he placed a soft kiss at the corner of her mouth.

‘I think it’s late, and you’re spent.’

With that, he pushed himself off the table, moved one hand to her knees and the other behind her back, and hoisted her up into his arms.

‘No,’ she yawned, betraying just how tired she was. ‘I’m not done with you yet.’

‘Maybe there’ll be more opportunities down the line,’ he said as he carried her toward her bedroom, his heart fluttering at the thought. She wrapped her arms around his neck and looked up at him with half-lidded eyes.

‘Does that mean… we’re officially doing this?’ she asked. ‘On a regular basis?’

With one hand still holding her against his chest, he bent to pull down the blanket on her bed with the other, then laid her down and tucked her in.

‘That’s a conversation for another day,’ he said.

When he was just about to straighten, she reached for his arms and tugged him back down toward her. To avoid losing his balance and accidentally crushing her under his weight, he caught himself with the left knee right by the edge of the mattress and his right hand beside her head, helplessly struggling not to give in when she cupped his neck with her palm and pressed her lips against his. He let out a sigh of longing, at which her free hand started fiddling with the buttons on his jeans.

‘Olivia,’ he mumbled against her lips, ‘I mean it.’

She groaned, but she let her hands fall into the bed and allowed him to get up, and it was lucky she did, because he wasn’t sure he would’ve been able to pull away on his own.

He took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. ‘Sleep tight,’ he murmured, but she had already relaxed into her bed and wouldn’t be giving him a response anytime soon. He smiled, then remembered himself: This was just casual. There wasn’t a lot to do about the feelings he already had for her—they wouldn’t just go away—but he could at least try not to make it worse. No loving smiles, no romantic gestures, and absolutely NO sleeping next to her.

Casual.

After grabbing his jacket and sword, he left her home as quietly as he could and took a detour back to the HQ to give himself a chance to clear his thoughts and get his mind back on track. He met no one on the way, not even a single tourist, and when he slowly pushed the front door open, the lights were off inside. Exhaling a relieved breath, he went inside and closed the door.

A switch clicked and a source of light came to life. Arlo’s gaze snapped over to the figure sitting cross-legged in the furthermost armchair right outside his room, who now leaned forward and gave him a wicked grin.

‘Well well, what have we here.’

‘What are you doing here, Sam?’ he murmured as he walked up to the sitting area.

She didn’t take her eyes off him, even as he gave in and sat down in the second armchair.

‘When I realized I wouldn’t get ready in time, I decided to wait here until you came back. But you never came, so I went to look for you, and I saw Django lock up the restaurant for the night… He told me something very interesting when I asked if he’d seen you.’

Arlo sighed. ‘He did, huh?’

Sam’s grin grew even wider. ‘You hooked up with someone, didn’t you?’

He arched an eyebrow. So Django hadn’t told her _everything,_ then. ‘That’s hardly an appropriate question to ask your boss,’ he said.

‘No? What about your friend?’ she teased.

‘I have nothing to say.’

‘Oh, come on, Arlo! Gimme the deets!’

‘The deets?’ he repeated dryly.

‘Yes! Was it soft and sweet? Or was it hot and heavy?’

Feeling his blood rush to his cheeks, Arlo got up from his armchair and marched past the younger Civil Corps officer. ‘Go home, Sam.’

‘Wait!’ she called out, and something in her tone of voice made him pause with one hand on his bedroom door.

He glanced over his shoulder and saw her standing beside the armchair, hands clenched into fists by her sides and brow furrowed.

‘Are you okay?’ she murmured.

Arlo considered for a moment; she seemed worried, and he couldn’t come up with a good reason not to reassure her. ‘I’m good,’ he said. After a brief pause, he smirked and added, ‘And no, it wasn’t soft and sweet.’

Before he could see her reaction, he went inside his bedroom and closed the door.


	7. Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which an unreal night turns into an overwhelming morning.

Olivia woke up in chaos.

She was roused from sleep by a loud knocking, sat up in bed in panic and blinked at her surroundings in confusion. Something was off.

Before she could properly access her own memories from the night before, she found herself staring first at the blinds (the sun shone through the cracks in an unusual way), followed by the floor lamp in the other room (it laid broken on the floor), and lastly, her own body (fully dressed).

… Well, apparently not _fully_ dressed—she wasn’t wearing any panties.

And that’s when it clicked.

Her hands flew up to grab hold of her head, as though it was at risk of falling off.

_Did… Did Arlo really…_

Yes. Yes, he did. She remembered it clearly now: his teasing smirk, his lips against her jaw, his fingertips gliding up along the inside of her thigh…

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK—the sound was there again; apparently it hadn’t just been her imagination, and it was getting angrier.

‘Olivia!’ a dark, muffled voice shouted from outside. ‘Are you in there?’

She stumbled out of bed, running a hand through her hair on her way to the door. This sounded like an emergency; no time to freshen up—besides, the clock on her wall told her she’d woken up two hours later than usual, so she couldn’t exactly get angry that someone was knocking at this time of day.

She opened the door to find herself face to face with Remington—serious as always—and, a little ways behind him, Sam. Remington looked slightly taken aback by the sight of her disheveled appearance, but he regained his bearings in an instant.

‘Good morning, Olivia.’

‘Hello,’ she tried to say, clearing her throat when her voice failed her. ‘Uh, hi. Is something wrong?’

‘Sorry for disturbing you,’ Remington said. ‘We recently found a new ruin, but it’s crawling with rats. Your fighting skills would come in handy when we’re clearing it out.’

‘Are you leaving right now?’ she asked, glancing at Sam, who had cocked her head to the side, studying Olivia with a thoughtful look on her face.

Remington nodded. ‘In a few minutes, if we can. Are you able to join us?’

Olivia considered. She didn’t really have much planned today, except building Arlo’s new training dummy—and that could definitely wait, despite him apparently calling it “an emergency”.

‘Yeah,’ she said, ‘Give me ten minutes.’

While Remington and Sam waited outside, Olivia hurried to change clothes, tie her hair up and pack her bags with equipment that might be useful: basic tools, a med kit, some light metals for emergencies, and a couple of small bombs just in case there would be a cave-in. She joined the others two minutes before deadline, and then they mounted the horses—Olivia sat behind Sam on her Arrow—and made their way South.

The new ruin turned out to be in the desert, not too far from Ingall’s Mine. The entrance was only partly unblocked; there was a gap in the left corner that was about her height and maybe double her width. Remington gestured for her to go first, so she took a deep breath, then went on ahead.

The tunnel was dusky, lit only by a lantern standing at its end, where it opened up into a large pathway the size of most ruins Olivia had visited before; apparently the old civilization liked their caves comfortably large.

The first thing she saw inside was a pair of brown leather boots with grey straps. She raised her gaze, letting it slide up along a slim body she knew very well, already frowning before her brain had caught up with what was going on.

‘Wh—’

Arlo had his arms crossed over his chest, leaning his right shoulder against the wall a couple of feet further ahead. His face was impassive as always—well, _almost_ always—and he didn’t seem even a tiny bit surprised to see her.

‘Hey there, Olivia,’ he said.

She blinked at him. ‘Uh,’ she said, which wasn’t exactly what she _wanted_ to say, but it was all that came out.

He smirked. ‘Don’t look so surprised. I’m the Captain, remember?’

Olivia pursed her lips. It almost seemed like he was teasing her with that last comment.

‘What’s your status?’ asked Remington, who had just come out behind her.

‘No activity,’ Arlo replied, leaving his place by the wall. ‘Sam and I must have drove them to the inner parts of the cave system yesterday.’

Sam came up beside Olivia. ‘So what’s the plan?’

‘There are two pathways up ahead,’ Arlo began, moving his gaze between the other three. ‘We want to trap the rats, so we have to cover both paths. We go two by two. Sam and Remy, you take the right path. Olivia, I want you with me in the left one. The paths should converge after a while, and that’s where we’ll find our targets.’

_I want you with me._ Olivia bit down on her bottom lip. _Stop it—that wasn’t what he meant._

‘Avoid direct confrontation in the tunnels,’ he continued. ‘The rats are at an advantage in tight spaces. If you get outmatched, you run. Is that clear?’

‘Clear as day, Captain,’ Sam nodded. ‘Come on, Remy.’

She and Remington started running further into the tunnel. Olivia listened to their footsteps as they slowly faded into nothing. She glanced up at Arlo and saw that he was watching her, head tilted to the side. For a moment, she almost thought he was going to say something about last night, but then he clenched his jaw and gave her a disgruntled look.

‘This wasn’t my idea, you know.’

She raised her eyebrows. ‘What? Asking for my help?’

Arlo nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. ‘You’re not a Civil Corps officer; this is just an emergency measure, because we needed more people this time.’

‘Are we really having this conversation again?’ she asked, growing annoyed. ‘I can take care of myself, Arlo.’

He clenched his jaw. ‘Maybe, but you’re still a civilian.’ He grabbed the lantern from the floor and fastened it to his belt. ‘Just stay close to me, yeah?’

Sighing in exasperation, she decided not to argue. He was technically right, even though the fact that she’d recently defeated a rogue AI almost by herself should have proved that she was more than just any civilian.

She followed him in silence as he started forward. The tunnel got narrower before it widened back into another room, then turned into a narrow tunnel again. Everything was silent and empty; no Bandirats, or anything else for that matter. The next larger room they entered split in two paths. Arlo went left, and Olivia followed. She could hear skittering sounds, as if the rats were close, but they couldn’t see anything.

‘Weapon at the ready,’ Arlo told her from ahead, slowing his pace as he unsheathed his sword. She did the same.

Peering forward into the dim light created by the bobbing lantern by his side, she tried not to think about the weird silence between them. This was Arlo’s job; he had to concentrate and not lose focus. Expecting him to flirt with her like he’d done last night would’ve just been stupid.

Still, though, couldn’t he at least say _something?_ After what they’d done together, she thought she at least deserved a comment of recognition?

Her gaze was drawn to his neck. Just last night, she’d had her fingers interwoven with that unruly red hair. She sighed, and Arlo must have heard her, because he turned to look at her over his shoulder.

‘Everything alright?’

She could feel herself blush. Damn it, why was she acting like this? She usually didn’t feel this nervous around him.

‘Yeah,’ she said. ‘Just… peachy.’

He turned forward again, and she thought that was that, but then his voice reached her ears again.

‘You really crashed hard last night.’

Olivia grimaced. ‘I did, didn’t I? Sorry…’

She could hear the smile in his voice as he answered. ‘I don’t blame you.’

Her heart jumped. No, this wasn’t the right time for _the_ conversation, but it was hard to resist when he gave her an opening like that.

‘So what made you change your mind about the whole… casual thing?’ she asked in a low voice.

Arlo didn’t answer right away, which made her feel feverish. She should have just stayed quiet. She should have just—

‘It wasn’t so much _changing_ my mind as it was _making up_ my mind.’ He paused. ‘We shouldn’t talk about that right now, though. I don’t want to get… distracted.’

He emphasized the last word, as if it held much more meaning than a single word usually would. She supposed it did.

Arlo stopped suddenly, holding up an arm to signal for her to do the same. She came to a halt right behind him; so close that she could hear his breathing clearly.

‘Do you hear that?’ he whispered.

She listened intently. There were new sounds ahead of them now; not just the pitter-patter of steps, but also something that sounded like very quiet, shrill whispers.

‘Rats,’ she breathed.

‘Stay close behind me.’

_As if that’s not what I’ve been doing this entire time._

Arlo stalked forward, sword ready. She remembered what he’d told the others earlier: _“If you get outmatched, you run. Is that clear?”_ Would Arlo heed his own advice?

She went after him, watching past the bobbing light for signs of movement. But it was of no use; even Arlo was taken by surprise when the first rat jumped them. He let out a surprised yell, holding up his sword to stop it from getting past him to Olivia, but the creature wasn’t interested in her: it slammed into him, knocking him back a few steps. Olivia jumped out of the way as he rolled backward and got back up on his feet, using his momentum to swing the sword in a lethal arc that severed the rat’s head clean off its body. It had only just landed on the ground with a sickening thud when two more rats leapt at them from the darkness, but this time, Arlo was ready. He blocked an attack from a Backerat, catching the edge of the point on its lance with his sword. The lance flew off to the side and clattered to the ground, leaving an opening for Arlo to stick his sword right into the chest of the Backerat at the same time as he ducked when the second rat—a Bandirat—swung its weapon toward his head. Olivia raised her own sword and brought it down on the rat’s arm before it could attack again, and she managed in separating the limb from the shoulder. She swallowed down bile as the rat squeaked in pain; thankfully, Arlo had pulled his sword back out of the Backerat and ended the life of the Bandirat in the next second.

‘Thanks,’ he panted. She nodded.

But it wasn’t over yet—more footsteps skittered toward them, and this time, _four_ rats came for them. Arlo took a wide stance with his feet, then moved forward in a twirling move that was so graceful it almost looked like he was dancing with the creatures; his footwork was flawless, his dodges clean, and his sword cut through the air so fast it was almost invisible. And just as Olivia remembered how much more training he had gone through than she had—just as she realized what a lucky break she had really gotten when she’d managed to seriously damage the Driller AI—one of the rats got past Arlo and leapt toward her.

She widened her eyes, dodging to the left. The rat’s lance touched her cheek, scraping off a flake of skin before continuing past her. She yelled out in surprise and pain, spinning around to face the Backerat that was just regaining its balance after the leap. A quick glance behind her told her that Arlo was busy with the other rats; she was alone. Taking a deep breath, she tried to get into her Builder’s mindset and scan her enemy for weak points. It almost felt as if time slowed down as her gaze darted from its helmet-protected head, to its gloved hands (feet?), to the sturdy knee-caps—and _there_! On the rat’s left thigh, there was a tear in its pants, where blood was seeping out from a long gash. Arlo’s sword must have touched it as it leapt past him.

Based on this, she calculated the creature’s next movement; it would favor its right-hand side as it came for her again. And she was right. She dodged in the other direction and managed to grab hold of the lance when it passed beside her head, twisting it to the right and out of the rat’s grip. The movement forced it to stumble to the left, on its bad leg, which gave in beneath it. Now came the difficult part. Holding her breath, Olivia brought her iron sword down toward the rat’s neck, closing her eyes hard just as the blade met with flesh. She felt a hot spatter of blood against her hands, and had to turn away and gasp for air. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the creature’s body spasm before dying. Her head spun. Fuck, this was much worse than fighting robots.

‘Hey! Are you alright? Olivia?’

Arlo was crouching down beside her, and it was only then that she realized that she was on her hands and feet on the ground. Her arms were shaking and her ears ringing.

‘Y-yeah,’ she gasped. She sat back against the tunnel wall, staring at her own feet in front of her.

Arlo reached out to touch her face with his hand. He muttered something below his breath. ‘You’re in shock,’ he said then. ‘We have to pull back.’

‘No!’ she exclaimed, turning her face toward him. ‘I’m fine. We keep going.’ The ringing sound was fading now, and her arms weren’t shaking as much. She would be fine.

Arlo didn’t look convinced. His forehead was furrowed, his eyes narrow as he considered her. ‘Olivia,’ he warned.

To show him that she was fine, she picked up her sword from where it had dropped to the floor, then got up on her feet. Her legs wobbled a little at first, but they steadied within seconds.

‘See?’ she said. ‘It’s just been long since I last killed other living creatures. I’m more used to fighting robots these days.’

He straightened beside her, glancing at the dead rat on the floor to her right. ‘You handled that very well, all things considered,’ he said.

Her cheeks burned. ‘Thanks.’

He looked back at her, holding her gaze in silence. Olivia stared back, refusing to be the first one to glance away, even though his eyes felt like lasers that burned into her skin. After what felt like forever but could have been just a couple of seconds, his gaze slipped down to her lips. She drew for air.

Arlo turned back forward, snapping her back to reality. ‘Let’s go. Sam and Remy might have reached the inner parts of the cave already.’

Olivia shook her shoulders to get her mind back on track. She was here to have Arlo’s back, not to get flustered in his presence.

After a few more minutes of walking in silence—accompanied only by the sounds of their own footsteps and the same distant skittering as before—the path widened. As sounds of battle interspersed with human shouts reached them, Arlo started running. Olivia was right behind him, entering the large cavern at the end of the path just a second after he did; close enough to hear his gasp.

The room was in chaos. _Hundreds_ of rats—Bandirats, Backerats and Redrats—were struggling to get past each other as they zeroed in on the two Civil Corps officers in the middle. Sam and Remington were fighting for their lives: Sam with her boxing gloves and spiked shoes, Remington with a sword and rifle. So far, they seemed to have been able to keep the rats at bay, but they were clearly outnumbered and outmatched and wouldn’t last for much longer.

Olivia was frozen in place, staring at the sea of tails whipping around. Arlo had stopped too when he saw the mass of bodies in front of them, but now he snapped out of it, raised his sword and ran toward the mischief of rats with a battle cry. She tried to reach for him to pull him back, even though she knew nothing could stop him from helping his fellow officers when they needed him.

Olivia pushed down her fear—the Civil Corps had entrusted her with this mission, and she wouldn’t let them down. But as she watched Arlo struggle not to get completely overrun by rats, she quickly realized that if she joined in the battle, she wouldn’t last long enough to make a difference. There had to be another way.

Backing into the tunnel again to avoid getting noticed by the hostile creatures, she bent down and rummaged through her bag. A Builder’s hammer, a mini blow torch, some metals, bandages and medicines… Her heart jumped. There, in the bottom, were the three bombs she’d brought in case of a cave-in. They didn’t pack a lot of power, but they might at least help even out the numbers for the others.

She took the bombs and the blow-torch and left the bag behind as she returned into the chaotic cavern, assessing the situation. A rat had gotten its hands on Sam, but just as Olivia’s gaze caught on to it, Remington aimed its rifle at the rat’s head and fired off a shot that effectively freed the other officer with an explosion of blood. Something that would have made Olivia barf was just a minor inconvenience to Sam; she wiped the blood from her face as well as she could before getting back into the fight.

At the outskirts of the mass of bodies was Arlo, displaying masterful moves with his sword and throwing knives as he killed off one rat after another—sometimes several of them at once. Olivia clenched her jaw. If only she could ask him for tactical advice… but she had to figure this out on her own.

She had three bombs. With three bombs, she had to 1) kill as many rats as she could, and 2) get Sam and Remington out from the middle so they could better guard their backs. Shouldn’t be a problem, right?

Carefully placing two of the bombs at her feet, she fired up the blow-torch and lit the bomb she held in her hand. Then she took a few steps further into the room and threw the bomb into the mass of rats that stood in Sam and Remington’s way of escaping.

‘Get down!’ she yelled as the bomb flew through the air. ‘Grenade!’

She was impressed by the officers’ reactions. None of them looked shocked or took too long to act; without hesitation, they all ducked away from the place of impact as the first bomb smashed into the helmet of a Backerat and exploded. Olivia recoiled; it affected a larger area than she’d thought, but the officers were unhurt. The same thing couldn’t be said about the rats. Their numbers had diminished drastically with just one bomb, and with just a few boxing hits and gun shots, Sam and Remy were able to fight their way out of their fleshy prison before the rats had realized that they should fill up the gaping hole in their army. The two officers ran and jumped gracefully over the numerous bodies on the ground, joining Arlo at the edge.

Olivia picked up another bomb, lit it up with the blow-torch, and threw it further than the first one. Once again, she yelled for them to duck, and they all did in unison. This time, the bomb shocked the remaining rats into a short moment of hesitation, where they all tried to locate the source of this new weapon of mass destruction.

At least forty pairs of small, black eyes turned to Olivia at about the same time. She froze, suddenly hyper-aware of how exposed she was; she’d sheathed her sword in order to focus all her attention on the bombs.

As the rats started in her direction like one single body—running past the Civil Corps officers as if they weren’t even there—Olivia picked up the third and last bomb. But before she could even fire up the blow-torch, the first rat leapt toward her.

‘Olivia!’ Arlo yelled.

Heart pounding, she dodged out of the way, reaching behind her back to unsheathe her sword, the blade cutting right into a Bandirat as it tried to grab her. It fell to the ground with a shriek.

She continued swiping her sword in a wide arc to get as many rats as she could while fumbling with the bomb in her left hand. The shrill shrieks and yells of the rats around her was deafening, and their tails whipping through the air obstructed her gaze from seeing what Arlo, Sam and Remington were doing.

_I’m going to die here,_ she thought as a Backerat’s lance touched her side, slashing up a wound in her upper arm. _I’m going to be killed and eaten by rats._

She made another slash with her sword just as a Redrat fired off a stream of heat to her left. She dodged to the side, but a loud smatter beside her made her hesitate. She glanced down.

The Redrat had somehow managed to light the bomb in her hand.

Panicking, she threw it as far as she could away from herself, wearily blocking a hit from a Backerat with her sword as she waited for the explosion that meant she had expended her best chance to rid herself of the rest of the rats.

But the explosion didn’t come.

‘Olivia!’ Sam yelled. ‘Get down!’

After only a brief moment of hesitation, Olivia threw herself at the ground, covering her head with her hands. A stream of fire from a Redrat blasted her shin, making her scream out in pain.

Then, finally, the bomb exploded.

The sound was deafening, and the force of the explosion slammed into her like a wall of air and heat. The rats around her lost their balance and fell in a heap on top of her, and it was the most luck she had had in her entire life, because that mass of bodies around her was most certainly what saved her from being taken out by the bomb. She felt the rats jerk and shriek on top of her as the bomb’s heat turned into flashes of fire, burning the vile creatures alive.

Olivia sobbed, her entire body in pain as she tried to understand what was happening around her. She could hear the tell-tale clangs of metal meeting metal, some human and non-human yells, and a couple of gun shots.

Then, to her immense relief, the weight on top of her started diminishing.

‘Olivia! Olivia, can you hear me?!’

Arlo’s voice was panicked, and she realized she’d never heard the Captain of the Civil Corps sound so scared and desperate before. Maybe it should have transferred to her, making her panic even more, but strangely, it had a calming effect on her instead. He was coming for her. She didn’t have to try to stay alive on her own anymore; it was someone else’s responsibility now.

The last rat body was pushed off of her, and a pair of hands carefully squeezed her shoulders.

‘Olivia,’ Arlo said, ‘are you hurt?’

‘My leg,’ she groaned.

There was a brief pause. His hands left her shoulders, and a moment later, she could feel something tugging at her pants.

‘Hold this,’ his voice said, and then there was the snipping sound of a pair of scissors.

_I just bought these pants a week ago,_ she thought in disappointment, her mind in a haze.

‘Do you have—’

‘In my satchel. The green bottle.’

‘Olivia, this is going to sting.’

Something touched her thigh, and in the next second, a sharp burning sensation started in her shin that made her scream out in pain. Two strong hands grabbed hold of her arms, pinning her to the ground as she squirmed, trying to escape the torture.

‘Your leg is going to be fine,’ Arlo assured her in a mumble close to her ear. ‘Try to relax, yeah?’

She clenched her jaw, trying and failing to breathe calmly. ‘It burns,’ she sobbed.

‘I know, I know,’ he murmured. ‘It’ll be over soon.’ His grip around her arms loosened a little when he noticed she had stopped squirming. ‘You were brilliant, you know. I’d estimate you took down about seventy rats with those bombs of yours.’

She exhaled sharply. The pain was starting to lessen now, but her mind was no less foggy. ‘I… I hate rats so fucking much.’

Arlo chuckled. ‘Don’t we all.’ His hands left her upper arms and started carefully touching and squeezing her forearms, then reached into a satchel on the ground to bring out a gauze that he started wrapping around her upper arm. ‘You have a slash wound here,’ he murmured, ‘but luckily, it’s not too deep.’

‘Why didn’t the bomb explode?’ Olivia mumbled.

He kept going, his fingers carefully fastening the end of the gauze. ‘Sorry?’

‘The last bomb,’ she whispered. ‘The explosion was delayed.’

His hands stopped momentarily. Then she heard a deep sigh. ‘Yeah, that’s because Sam here decided to be stupidly reckless and _catch_ the fucking bomb _in her hands_ , then throw it back into the group of rats _._ ’

Olivia widened her eyes. ‘She did what?’

‘Don’t worry, I’ll yell at her later,’ he murmured; then, speaking to someone else, ‘Can she be moved?’

‘I don’t see why not,’ Remington’s voice said. ‘But we should bring her to the Clinic as soon as possible.’

‘I’ll take care of it.’

Arlo carefully helped her roll onto her back, then wrapped one arm around her back and the other around her legs, slowly lifting her up against his chest. She leaned her head against him and closed her eyes, listening to his heartbeats.

‘Make sure there aren’t any more rats hiding out in the tunnels, then block off the ruins when you leave,’ he said, his deep voice rumbling pleasantly through his chest and into her ear. ‘And Sam, when you’re done here, I want you to go to the Clinic as well and check out that wound. We don’t want it to get infected.’

‘Got it, Captain.’

‘Be careful, Arlo,’ Remington said.

‘You too.’


	8. Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Arlo turns to the light in search for some peace.

Arlo hoisted himself upward and swung his leg over the back of Spacer, sitting down in the saddle and wrapping an arm around Olivia to pull her closer. She leaned back against him.

‘Okay?’ he murmured against her hair.

‘Okay,’ she confirmed quietly.

He grabbed the reins and pushed his heels into the sides of Spacer, holding Olivia close as they started forward in a trot. Her injury wasn’t so bad that that they had to rush to the Clinic; he’d prefer to avoid hurting her unnecessarily. Still, he didn’t like how sleepy she was.

‘No falling asleep now, you hear?’

He felt her sigh. ‘I won’t.’

He kept his gaze focused ahead, trying not to think about her weight against him and the dark, messy hair pulled into a bun below him. She was relaxed, which was a good sign as long as she stayed awake, but the way that her body melted into him made it hard for him to focus on anything else. At one point, he allowed himself to bend his neck and sniff her hair—a bad idea, because her smell filled him with yearning—and she must have noticed, because right then, she angled her neck to look up at him.

‘Isn’t this the scene where we tell each other how much we’re in love and how worried we were for each other’s safety?’ she asked.

He stared straight ahead, hesitant to answer. He didn’t really want to touch that one.

‘And then we kiss and promise never to scare each other like that again,’ she continued.

Arlo scoffed. ‘That’s an impossible promise. I’m the Captain of the Civil Corps and you’re an adventurous Builder who keeps finding herself in lethal situations. If we keep at it, there’ll be plenty more scares in the future— _that_ I can promise.’

‘Do you… get hurt often?’ she asked.

He thought for a moment, considering how honest he should be with her. ‘In these types of missions, yeah. It’s unavoidable. Usually, it’s a sprain or superficial wounds, but things don’t always turn out in my favor.’ He paused. ‘I’m lucky to have two competent officers watching my back.’

Olivia hummed. ‘It’s fascinating to watch you fight,’ she said, so quietly that he could barely hear it over the wind as they rode. ‘You’re… graceful.’

He smiled. ‘I’ve been doing this for a long time,’ he said, ‘even before I became Captain.’

‘I can tell,’ she said. Then, after a brief pause, ‘If I hadn’t been distracted by the enormous number of rats, I don’t think I would’ve been able to tear my eyes from you.’

Arlo drew in a shuddering breath, then clenched his jaw. They had to sit down and talk things through; that was the right order of things. But it was damn hard when she kept flirting with him like this.

‘In the tunnel,’ Olivia continued when he didn’t answer, ‘you said… you didn’t change your mind, you just made your mind up. What did you mean by that?’

Arlo frowned. So they were having this conversation now, then. On horseback. After almost dying together…

Well, why not? They wouldn’t be back in town in a while, anyway.

‘I just meant I never said I _didn’t_ want something casual,’ he explained.

‘You ran away when I came with the suggestion.’

 _That’s only because I’d never considered the idea before._ He’d been so surprised that his brain had locked, and all that came out was, “I gotta go”.

‘I… may not have expected you to be so blunt,’ he said.

‘Hm…’ Olivia leaned her head back against his chest. She peered up at him from beneath her lashes. ‘One of us needed to be.’

His heart was already pounding. ‘I’m glad you were,’ he murmured, gaze both fixed on and transfixed by her lips. When she noticed him staring, she parted her lips slightly and exhaled in a soft sigh.

Arlo moved his hand from Olivia’s waist up to her chin, carefully guiding her face up toward him with two fingers. Trusting Spacer to trot onward in the right direction, he bent his neck and brushed his lips against hers. He could feel her draw for air; could feel her hot breath on his skin. Holy hell, he wanted to kiss her. But…

He straightened again and turned his attention forward, returning his arm to her waist. She groaned.

‘You’re such an asshole.’

He smirked. ‘This asshole knows what’s best for you,’ he said. ‘Trust me, you don’t want me to lose my cool on top of a horse.’

‘Maybe I do,’ she challenged.

‘Besides,’ he continued, ignoring her invitation, ‘we’re not done talking. I need to know you’re okay with all of this.’

‘With you holding me close to your chest? Hell yes. With you teasing me like that?’ She paused. ‘… Maybe.’

Arlo smiled, then forced himself to be serious. ‘You know what I mean.’

She took a while to answer. ‘You mean the whole “no relationship” thing,’ she said.

He tried to read the tone of her voice to determine how she felt about it, but wasn’t able to distinguish anything in particular. And that was strange. He might be a little socially inept sometimes, but when he knew what to look for, he usually found it without much hassle. Olivia’s voice just now, however, sounded like she’d practiced saying that exact same sentence as unemotionally as possible in front of a mirror for weeks. He wondered whether there was a spark of truth in that image.

‘Yes,’ he said, waiting for her to give an answer in her own time.

Olivia squirmed a little in his grip. ‘Yeah. I’m okay with it.’

He expected her to go on, but after a few seconds of silence, he realized she wasn’t going to. ‘Yeah?’ he asked.

‘Yeah.’

‘You sure?’

She let out a long, deep sigh. ‘Arlo,’ she began, ‘I’ve already told you how I feel. A relationship wouldn’t be realistic; I get that. But I don’t really need a relationship, and honestly, I don’t think I even want one, because it’s so… limiting. And I’m not the kind of girl who inadvertently falls in love with everyone I hook up with.’

He was about to answer, but then her last sentence sunk in. Everyone? Had she hooked up with a lot of people in Portia?

Maybe she noticed his hesitation, because she continued, ‘I sincerely just want you to fuck me.’

He inhaled sharply before he could catch himself, making Olivia snicker.

‘Sorry. Am I being blunt again?’

His hand squeezed her waist. ‘I don’t mind,’ he assured her in a low voice. Although, if she continued, her position against him might get uncomfortable very soon, so he decided to add, ‘But we’re about to get to the more populated areas, and I think neither you nor I would want to start any rumors, yeah?’

‘Back to storybook romance it is,’ she said. ‘Two star-crossed lovers riding in on a white stallion, coming back home after a vicious battle that has brought them even closer together than they were before. Alice would swoon if she saw us; it’s so perfect I almost believe it myself.’

He had no idea what to say to that, so he said nothing. They weren’t in love, and they’d just established that what had happened last night was just casual—but her comment forced him to remember what they had gone through today, and so the sexual tension quickly died, exchanged by a slowly growing anxiety as the memories came back to him. Digging her out of a pile of rat corpses, not knowing what to expect, had been horrible. What if the shockwave from the bomb had made her go unconscious? What if the weight of the rats had crushed her? What if, what if, what if?

But she’d been one hell of a backup, he had to admit that. He didn’t even want to think of what might have happened if she hadn’t brought those bombs. What an amazingly clever girl. Sure, it was risky, but they’d been in an impossible situation. To think that they might all have died in there… Just because he hadn’t considered the possibility that the cave could be a giant rat nest…

‘Stop that.’

Arlo paused, frowning down at her. ‘Stop what?’

‘Blaming yourself.’

He froze. ‘How did you—’

‘Because I know you,’ she shot back. ‘You were the same in Ingall’s Mine, remember? You’re being too hard on yourself. No one can prepare for everything, and you did all you could.’

‘But I should have known,’ he muttered. ‘The signs were there.’

Olivia groaned in exasperation. ‘Arlo, if the signs had been there, you would’ve seen them, and so would Remy and Sam. It’s easy to see the signs after the fact, but that doesn’t mean they were there from the beginning.’

He shook his head. ‘But I’m the Captain. Remy and Sam don’t have the same responsibility as I do.’

‘Are you saying they’re incompetent?’

‘No,’ he said, annoyed that she would even suggest such a thing.

‘Then why are you being so hard on yourself? None of you saw any signs. You weren’t alone in this.’

He didn’t answer right away. The impossibly large number of rats, overpowering Sam and Remy and then leaping toward a terrified Olivia, flashed through his mind again. Gritting his teeth, he leaned his forehead against the back of her head, hating the tears that had already started filling his eyes.

‘You don’t understand,’ he said, voice thick.

She looked up at him again, her blue eyes unusually empathetic. ‘So explain to me,’ she said softly.

He clenched his jaw. ‘No.’

Her eyes were on him for a moment longer, but she didn’t press him further. He looked straight ahead, trying to ignore her burning gaze as he spurred Spacer to go faster.

 

* * *

 

Dr. Xu carefully laid the hospital blanket back over Olivia’s legs. ‘It will heal well,’ he said quietly. ‘But I’d like to keep her here for a few hours, just to make sure she doesn’t get a fever.’ He glanced up at Olivia’s serene face; she was already sound asleep. ‘… Which doesn’t seem to be much of an issue to her,’ he added with a smile.

Arlo got up from his chair. ‘Thanks, doc. We’re lucky to have you.’

‘I’m just glad it wasn’t worse,’ Xu said, shaking his head. ‘Hundreds of rats, you say?’

Arlo nodded. He looked down at Olivia. ‘Our crazy Builder brought bombs.’

‘Sounds just like her,’ a smooth female voice said behind them.

Arlo turned to see Phyllis strolling toward them, hand on her hip. He tensed, remembering what Olivia had told him about Phyllis last night.

‘Hello, Captain,’ she said with a soft smile. ‘No injuries this time?’

‘Nothing I can’t handle myself,’ he replied.

Phyllis let her gaze slip down to his chest, then slowly slid it back up to his eyes again. ‘Let me know if you change your mind. I have a light touch.’

He cleared his throat. ‘Yes, well, I better be leaving—’

He broke off when the door to the Clinic opened, revealing a worn and weary Sam with her arm in a makeshift sling. Arlo’s brow furrowed.

‘Sam,’ he exclaimed. ‘You okay?’

She gave him a tired smile. ‘No worries, this is just a sprain.’ She turned to Phyllis. ‘Yo, Phyll. Our fine Captain wants me to have a wound on my shoulder checked out.’

Phyllis glanced at Xu, who nodded. The nurse smiled and gestured for Sam to sit down on the free gurney. Arlo knew they were close friends; a fact which made him feel immense relief, because it meant he wouldn’t have to make any small talk with Phyllis. It wasn’t that he didn’t like her, he just found it difficult to ignore what he now saw were obvious attempts at flirting with him. Had he really been that oblivious before?

‘You don’t have to stay,’ Sam told him.

He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall next to the gurney, watching Phyllis peel the jacket off Sam’s injured shoulder. ‘I’m staying.’

Sam sighed but chose not to argue.

‘This is a bite wound,’ Phyllis said, cocking an eyebrow at the Corps officer. ‘A rather deep one. I’m surprised you’re not in more pain.’

‘Pssh, I’ve been through worse. This is just a scratch.’

‘Actually,’ Phyllis said, ‘I’d like to keep you under surveillance to see how it develops. We’ll clean it up first, but you should cancel any appointments you may have today.’

‘Really?’ Sam asked, eyebrows raised. She looked up at Arlo. ‘Is it that bad?’

‘Don’t look at me,’ he said. ‘She’s the expert.’

She sighed deeply. ‘Fine.’

When Phyllis got up to fetch cleaning equipment, Arlo gave Sam a stern look. ‘Are we going to talk about what happened in the ruins?’

‘What happened,’ she said, raising her eyebrows, ‘is that we were severely outmatched, and Olivia threw the bomb too far.’

‘You were reckless and risked both your own and our lives.’

‘I get what you’re saying, I really do, but it was the only way we could defeat those rats. You have to see that.’

He narrowed his eyes. She was right, and he didn’t like it. He didn’t want to encourage reckless shit like the trick she’d pulled off, but there was no getting around the fact that she’d saved them. She’d saved Olivia.

‘It was wrong,’ he said. Then, with a sigh, he added, ‘But thank you.’

She smirked for a second before turning serious again. ‘So how is she?’

Arlo glanced in the direction of the screen that hid Olivia’s bed from view. ‘Sleeping, I think,’ he murmured.

Sam followed his gaze. ‘She really made a difference today, didn’t she?’

‘She did,’ he agreed. When he turned his attention back to Sam, she gave him a knowing look. He frowned, then scowled when he realized what she was getting at. ‘Sam. No.’

‘You’ve said it yourself,’ she insisted. ‘What with South Block and the desert, it’s too much ground for just the three of us to cover.’

‘I’m not having this conversation again.’

‘I don’t get it,’ she whispered, eyes intent. ‘Why don’t you want Olivia on our team? She’s strong, she’s clever, she’s—’ She stopped herself, eyes slowly widening. ‘Wait… Don’t tell me—’

‘This might sting a bit,’ Phyllis said as she sat down next to Sam again, disinfectant in hand. Arlo had never been more grateful to the nurse.

Sam wouldn’t stop glaring at him, so he straightened and headed to the door. ‘Well, seems like everything’s in order here. Thanks again, doc, Phyllis.’

‘I’ll find you,’ Sam warned, but he pretended not to hear as he pushed the doors open and strolled outside.

He took a moment to lean against the wall beside the door, closing his eyes and taking a couple of deep breaths before heading out. This day was getting worse and worse for every minute that passed. Between being severely outmatched by a mischief of rats and trying to dodge questions that went way too deep for his taste, he’d had enough drama for today. He just wanted to wind down, relax, think about things in their natural order and not have to worry about getting caught in unsolicited drama.

He didn’t realize his steps had steered him toward the church before he found himself walking up its staircase, hand raised to open the doors. He rarely visited the Church of the Light; as the Captain of the Civil Corps, he preferred to stay as neutral as possible in the whole relic debate, and thus didn’t want to be presumed to favor one side over the other. But as he hesitated on the doorstep, he slowly realized there was one person he really wanted to see right now, and that was Nora. Fuck ancient debates; he was just here to see a friend.

Having convinced himself, he pushed open the doors and walked inside.

As expected, the church was completely empty except for a lone figure sitting by the piano in the furthermost part, moving her slender fingers across the keys with a tender passion. Arlo watched her from a distance for a moment, listening to the sad but beautiful melody emanating from her instrument and echoing between the church walls in an almost eerie way. Not many people knew that Nora was such a talented pianist; she usually only played the same simple songs during sermons every Sunday, giving her little leeway in the area of improvisation. But Arlo had heard her play like this before, and it always managed to relax his muscles and soothe his mind, if only for a finite moment. Not so strange, then, that his feet had walked him here on their own accord.

When Nora had played the last notes of her musical piece, Arlo sauntered up to the instrument and leaned his back against the wall, giving her a warm smile.

‘That a new piece?’

She blinked at him in surprise. ‘Oh, Arlo! Well… Yes. Petra gave it to me; apparently someone found it in the Abandoned Ruins. Please don’t tell Minister Lee.’

‘You know I won’t,’ he said.

She glanced away, slowly wringing her hands in her lap, clearly nervous. Arlo leaned his head back, watching her intently.

‘Can you play something else?’ he asked.

She blushed. ‘O-okay.’

Her hands returned to the keys, hesitating for just a moment before beginning anew. As a deep, heart-stirring melody from the lowest notes on the instrument joined the soft tinkling of the lighter keys, he closed his eyes and thought himself away. The piece Nora was playing painted a distinguished picture in his mind; a picture of his childhood home, in the Portia countryside. It was dark out, and snowflakes as large as his palm slowly floated down from the sky and landed on his young face. A few feet in front of him, on her knees in the snow, was a smaller red-haired girl; she was busy trying to build a snowman out of the little snow that hadn’t melted as soon as it reached the muddy ground. Her overly large, white mittens were wet and brown from all the times she had dragged them through the mud, but she didn’t care: she was grinning, her lips stretching from one ear to the other. He walked closer to her, leaning down to wipe some dirt from her cheek, at which she grimaced and leaned away so sharply that she tumbled to the ground. He reached for her, anxious to help her up, but she just looked at him and laughed, blinking frenetically as an enormous snowflake drifted right into her eye.

A shiver went through Arlo, and he opened his eyes to escape the memory. This wasn’t why he’d gone to see Nora; he’d hoped to be _distracted,_ not to make the images in his head even more vivid.

Nora must have noticed his discomfort, because she stopped playing and stood, reaching for his arm.

‘Is everything alright, Arlo?’

He glanced down at her hand as it stroked his upper arm in a soothing movement. He opened his mouth to respond, but found that he didn’t know what words to say, so he closed it again. Nora’s forehead furrowed.

‘You look tired,’ she said.

Arlo sighed and ran a hand through his hair. ‘It’s been an intense morning,’ he murmured, then, forcing a smile, ‘Thank you for playing to me. You really are talented.’

Nora smiled shily, pulling back her hand to brush a loose strand of hair behind her ear. ‘It’s nothing special. Learning how to play the piano is part of my mission here in Portia.’

His eyes widened. ‘You mean you didn’t know how to play before coming here?’

She shook her head.

‘Nora, that’s _crazy._ You’ve been here for one year, but it sounds like you’ve been playing the piano your whole life.’

By now, she was blushing furiously, staring down at her feet. ‘Arlo…’

Seeing her reaction made him pause. Maybe he’d gone a little overboard in complimenting her? She _was_ incredibly talented, but he didn’t want to make her uncomfortable.

‘Hey, do you want to grab some noodles?’ he asked to change the subject. ‘I’m starving.’

She looked up at him, her whole face opening up into an awed grin. ‘Yes! That would be great!’

Her expression made it impossible for him to not grin back. Strange as it was, they both shared a love for seafood noodles—it was actually the thing that had first gotten them talking. He and Sam had dined out, and she’d convinced him to try something new: shrimp and cheese on rice, which was Sam’s favorite. But the meal hadn’t done it for him, and so when he’d passed by Lee and Nora by another table on his way out and seen what she was having for dinner, he’d perhaps lingered a tad too long when introducing himself to the new missionary.

‘Come on, then,’ he said, grinning as he left his place by the wall. ‘Noodles are on me.’

He waited while Nora wrote a note for Lee in case he would come looking for her, and then the two of them walked together to The Round Table. Django looked up when they came in, giving Arlo an amused smile at the sight of Nora beside him. Arlo shot him a sharp look, at which the man chuckled and showed his palms in a gesture of peace.

‘Let me guess,’ Django exclaimed. ‘Seafood noodles?’

‘Right on.’

‘Pick a table and I’ll come out with your orders in a few minutes.’

‘Thank you, Django,’ Nora smiled before following Arlo to the table in the furthermost corner. When she’d seated herself across from him, she leaned closer over the table with a frown. ‘What was that about?’ she whispered.

He held her gaze. ‘What?’

‘He acted strange when we came in. Didn’t you notice?’

Arlo leaned back in his seat, making a nonchalant hand gesture. ‘Eh, don’t mind him. He’s just an old man with too much time on his hands.’

‘Hm.’ Nora looked thoughtful. ‘Speaking of time, did you take a day off?’

‘No,’ he sighed. ‘I’ll have to get back out in a little while. But after this morning’s little adventure, I figured I could at least treat myself to some noodles for lunch.’ _And some easy conversation with you._ The Light knew he’d had enough difficult conversations lately.

Nora’s eyes lit up in an entirely predictable way. ‘An adventure? What adventure?’

Arlo smirked, leaning forward to rest his elbows against the table. ‘You sure you don’t want to save this one for later? It’s the kind of tale best suited for a late night by the well.’

That, and he wasn’t sure he could tell her about it right now without getting too affected by the lingering memories of the panic he’d felt when he saw Olivia get swarmed by rats.

She looked to be in two minds about that matter. ‘Really? Oh, well… I guess I can wait.’

Django brought their food, and they dug in with equal excitement. Arlo’s eyes were probably already wide with happiness, but when he looked up at Nora, he couldn’t help chuckling at how absolutely fucking delighted she looked as she started twirling the noodles around her fork. She raised her gaze at the sound; she pursed her lips, eyes gleaming, then broke into laughter along with him. The whole thing kept going until they were both laughing so hard they were crying—for no apparent reason other than the fact that they were both stupidly excited over a plate of food.

Nora raised her hand to her mouth as she tried to chew, but when she drew for air at the same time, a loud snorting sound came out. Arlo laughed harder as her cheeks went red, holding his stomach as he tried to control his laughter. It took several long seconds for them both to calm down enough to be able to speak again, and when they had, they realized all other guests in the restaurant were watching them. Trying to be serious, Arlo cleared his throat.

‘Sorry,’ he said loudly enough so that everyone would be able to hear. ‘Django’s noodles are just that good.’

At that, Nora broke into laughter again. Arlo grinned as he turned back to her.

‘What? They are.’

‘Indeed,’ she said breathlessly, shaking her head.

The next half hour flew by in a jiffy. Arlo found himself smiling more times than not, the tension in his body evaporating in the presence of Nora. How lucky was he to still have her as his friend, even after having rejected her romantic feelings? How lucky was he to be able to sit down for lunch and laugh like a maniac over something as silly as some seafood noodles? This was exactly what he needed.

But he had responsibilities, and so, after they’d both finished their food and concluded their current topic of conversation, Arlo straightened and got up from his seat. ‘Alright, I have to go,’ he said, zipping up his jacket. ‘It was nice chatting with you.’

She looked up at him from her side of the table. ‘It really was,’ she agreed. ‘Do you think…’ She hesitated.

‘Do I think what?’ he asked, raising an eyebrow.

‘… Do you have time for that story later?’ she murmured.

Arlo considered it for a moment. He felt better now; a lot better. And Nora was clearly a good influence on him when he was feeling low, so even if it got worse again, she might be able to cheer him up.

‘Sure,’ he said. ‘Same place and same time as always.’

Nora grinned, eyes gleaming. ‘Great! See you there, Captain.’

He gave her an amused smile and a wink. ‘Don’t be late, missionary.’


	9. Softly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which things get both heavier and harder for Arlo and Olivia - but not in the way you might think.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think a minor tw for mention of character death (by drowning) is appropriate here. It's not a major character, and it's not graphic in any way, but I thought I should give a warning anyway.

‘Where do you think you’re going?’

Sam and Olivia froze by the door, turning back around to face Phyllis. The nurse had her arms crossed over her chest and was giving Sam a stern look.

‘Back home to sleep?’ Sam tried with a guilty smile.

Phyllis shook her head. ‘You’re restless after spending all day in here. We both know you’re going to get yourself in trouble.’

Sam feigned shock; she widened her eyes and let out a gasp. ‘Me? Why I would never!’

‘I can keep an eye on her,’ Olivia offered, wrapping an arm around Sam’s shoulders. But Phyllis just sighed.

‘No, Olivia. You should go home and rest.’ She tilted her head to the side. ‘Sam, please. Your bite wound is serious. We need to keep you here over the night.’

‘But I feel fine,’ the Civil Corps officer tried.

‘That might be the case, but you’re still at risk.’

Sam made one last attempt at persuasion by making her most effective sad puppy face, but the nurse stood tall. Eventually, the impatient officer gave in. ‘Fine,’ she murmured, dragging her feet back to “her” hospital bed. She glanced at Olivia. ‘If you see Arlo, tell him he’s not getting away with it.’

Olivia frowned. Not getting away with what? But Sam didn’t look like she was in the mood for questions, so she just nodded. ‘I’ll check in on you tomorrow.’

‘Hopefully I’ll be up and about before you’re even awake.’ Sam winked. ‘Especially if you’re going to sleep in ‘til nine again.’

Olivia turned away in an attempt to hide her blush. Maybe if Arlo hadn’t drained her so completely last night… Then again, she could live with sleeping a couple hours longer into the morning if it meant he would drain her like that again; maybe even on a more regular basis. Yes, that didn’t seem like a bad development at all.

‘See you tomorrow,’ she said as she pushed open the double doors of the clinic and left the sterile lighting behind, exchanging it for the dusk of a late summer night. She paused to stretch her limbs outside, thinking about what to do next. She’d been locked inside the clinic almost all day and was bored out of her mind—poor Sam, she was an even more restless soul than Olivia and must be excruciatingly bored at this point—but she knew she shouldn’t overexert herself, either. Arlo might call her reckless sometimes, but she wasn’t stupid. With a fresh burn wound on her calf and a cut in her upper arm, it wouldn’t be a good idea to go mining or hunting for rare drops in a hazardous ruin. She should just go straight home, maybe get some furnaces going and then spend the rest of the night in bed. That was the sensible thing to do.

Yet when she heard voices from behind the clinic, her immediate reaction was to perk up and think, _“Yes! Something, anything, out of the ordinary!”_

Portia was a calm and quiet town, which was why it was all the stranger to hear voices in a secluded place at 10 p.m. on a Sunday. Sorely needing some excitement after spending the entire day in the clinic, Olivia sneaked around to the right side of the building, padding as quietly as she could through the crispy grass. When she came to the corner, the voices had gotten clear enough that she could discern what they were saying.

‘Things were looking down. I managed to take down maybe a dozen rats, but more and more were just pooling into the room, and Sam and Remy were still trapped and dangling just about on the edge of how much they could take before they’d crumble.’

That… was Arlo’s voice. Olivia frowned. Why would Arlo be telling someone about the fight earlier today at this time at night, and behind the clinic like this? Had she stumbled upon some kind of secret meeting? But whom would he be telling this story to? Arlo was the Captain of the Civil Corps, so unless one of his superiors from the Council was here, it didn’t make any sense for him to give a report.

‘I thought we were done for,’ Arlo continued in a low voice, raising the tension in his story. ‘I didn’t see a way out for them, and I would never leave them behind, so I was convinced that was how I was going to die—overrun by a swarm of dirty cave rats, as a failed Captain of Portia’s Civil Corps. As a Captain who had failed both his team and his town.’

‘That’s not true,’ another voice jumped in, and its tone made Olivia flinch. ‘You’re the best Captain Portia could wish for. No one would do a better job at keeping us safe than you.’

Even though Olivia recognized the voice right away, she still couldn’t believe it. Tempting fate, she leaned closer to the edge of the wall and peeked around the corner. What she saw punched her in the gut.

Two people had their backs to her hiding place, leaning against the old well behind the clinic. One of them was Arlo: arms crossed, posture relaxed, hair swaying slightly in the breeze. The other one—a considerably shorter, considerably more _curvaceous_ figure—was standing so close to him they were almost touching. She absent-mindedly stroked a loose sling of hair behind her ear as she looked up at Arlo with an intent gaze. Olivia clenched her jaw. _Nora._

‘Either way,’ Arlo said, apparently choosing not to acknowledge Nora’s compliments, ‘the only reason I’m standing here today is because of Olivia.’ He sighed, leaning his head back to gaze up at the starry sky. ‘She’d brought bombs—who knows what for—and when everything seemed lost, she yelled at us to get down.’ He lowered his gaze again, and Olivia thought she could see a small smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. ‘With just one bomb, she managed to give Sam and Remy a way out. With the second one, she took out the bulk of the remaining rats.’

To Olivia’s surprise, Nora didn’t seem affected by the way Arlo described what had happened. ‘She’s really something, isn’t she?’ she said.

‘Yeah,’ Arlo agreed. ‘She’s as clever as they make ‘em.’

Olivia swallowed as she clenched the corner of the building with her hand. He really thought that?

‘But she’s not a Civil Corps officer, and when the rats figured out where the bombs came from, they rushed straight at her, overwhelming her just as she was about to throw her third bomb.’

Nora gasped, but Arlo continued his story.

‘A Redrat must have lit the bomb on fire, and Liv threw it in desperation. It went too far to be able to do any real damage—but then Sam jumped in and, get this, _caught the bomb with her bare hands._ ’

‘She didn’t!’

‘You bet she did. And not only that, she launched it back into the group of rats that had attacked Olivia, and the force killed or knocked out almost every last one of ‘em. After that, all we had to do was slice our way through the rest.’

‘You all came out of it unharmed?’ Nora asked incredulously.

Arlo shook his head. ‘Not completely. Sam and Liv are still in the clinic, but they’ll be fine. We were lucky enough that they got away with one bite wound, a burn wound and some cuts here and there.’

‘That’s unbelievable,’ Nora whispered, staring up at Arlo. ‘I can’t imagine how horrifying all of that must have been for you.’ She placed a hand on Arlo’s arm, making Olivia’s blood boil.

Arlo glanced down at the hand on his arm before giving Nora a soft smile. ‘I’m fine. It’s all part of the job.’

Well, that’s not what it had sounded like earlier. On their way back from the desert, he’d blamed himself for what had happened, and in his voice, she’d heard contempt. Not for anyone else; for himself.

‘A job that’s incredibly dangerous,’ Nora said, shaking her head but still not removing her damn hand. She lowered her voice. ‘I get worried sometimes.’

Olivia wrinkled her nose. She thought Arlo had told Nora he wasn’t interested? So then why was she coming on to him like this?

And Arlo—sweet, unaware Arlo—didn’t even seem to notice. His smile faded, exchanged for a concerned frown.

‘Don’t be,’ he said softly. ‘I have a competent team watching my back. Worrying only causes pain.’

‘I know,’ Nora said, squeezing his arm, ‘I just don’t know what I… what Portia would do without you.’

Okay, this was getting out of hand. Olivia had to do something, and fast. Skulking her way back around to the front of the building, she pushed all rational thoughts aside and marched right around the corner and back toward the old well—this time from the other direction.

As soon as she came into view, Arlo stood up straight and turned his attention to her. ‘Olivia! You’re awake,’ he said.

She stopped, pausing to give the pair a long look, as if this was the first time she saw them together. Nora looked embarrassed, which only proved Olivia’s theory that the sneaky missionary had been trying to dig her claws into Arlo a second time.

‘Phyllis said I could go home and rest instead,’ Olivia said, celebrating inwardly when he walked up to her to study her face.

‘Are you alright? You look like you’ve just run a marathon.’

 _Maybe an emotional one_ , she thought bitterly. Out loud, she said, ‘I’m fine, it just hurts a little to walk on my bad leg.’

‘Let me walk you home,’ he offered immediately. Olivia glanced at Nora, who looked like she wanted to sink through the earth. When Arlo followed her gaze, he seemed to remember himself. ‘Nora—you can come with us to the plaza, if you want.’

‘No, that’s alright,’ Nora hurried to say, ‘I think I’ll stay here for a little bit. You go on ahead.’

Arlo’s brow furrowed. Olivia could almost see the struggle he must be going through in his mind. ‘Well… I’ll see you tomorrow, then.’

The missionary nodded. ‘Good night.’ She turned to Olivia. ‘I hope you’ll get better soon.’

‘Thank you,’ Olivia smiled before looping her arm through Arlo’s and letting him lead her back to the front of the clinic again. As soon as they were out of Nora’s sight, she closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh. What the fuck was that? Why was she being so immature? Her and Arlo’s relationship was just casual, so it wasn’t like she had any right to crash his dates with other people. It was just that seeing him be so tender with someone else had made her go insane with jealousy. _Stupid, stupid Liv._ If she kept going like this, she’d just end up pushing him away.

They walked in silence at first. Arlo hugged her arm to his side, covering her hand with his as he walked with her down the path toward Peach Plaza. The gesture felt intimate, but she was pretty sure it was just something he did because he felt guilty about the fact that she’d gotten hurt under his protection, or something stupid like that.

Only when they’d passed through the Western gate did Arlo speak.

‘I’m glad you’re alright,’ he murmured, squeezing her arm a little harder.

She looked up at him; he had his gaze turned straight ahead, and his jaw was clenched, as if he was holding something back.

‘Really? Because you don’t look like you are.’

That made him turn to her with his eyebrows raised in surprise. ‘Beg your pardon?’

‘Just saying you look like you’d rather have stayed with Nora than follow this cripple home.’

Arlo paled. ‘What? No, that’s not it. That’s not it at all.’

She arched an eyebrow. ‘But there is _something_ , then?’

He looked at her for a moment longer before turning forward again. They had just reached her front yard when he stopped walking and turned to face her with his entire body, changing his grip to hold her left hand in his right one. ‘Can I come inside?’ he asked.

She was so shocked by the question she could only stare at him. What was this about? Either he had something real heavy to share with her, or he was too horny to wait even a second longer before having her again. Judging by his facial expression, she didn’t think it was the latter.

‘Uh—yeah, of course,’ she said.

‘Thank you.’

He let go of her hand and nodded for her to go first. With his gaze burning a hole into her back, she unlocked her front door and went inside, not daring to turn back around until he had closed the door and she didn’t see a way to put it off any longer. He looked troubled, but still, he helped her sit down on her couch—even though she could definitely have handled it herself—before taking a seat at the other end, with a noticeable gap between them.

She looked at him, waiting for him to explain. He sighed deeply before meeting her gaze.

‘I’m sorry for being so short with you earlier. You were trying to comfort me, and I told you off. It was… uncivilized.’

She blinked at him. Oh. So that’s what this was about?

‘It’s fine,’ she assured him. ‘You have no obligation to tell me anything. I dug too deep.’

‘Maybe, but that’s not an excuse for being so harsh on you. The truth is…’ He paused, then shook his head. ‘I’ve never told anyone about this before.’

‘You don’t have to tell me,’ she hurried to say, reaching out to place a hand between them on the couch cushions. ‘Really, Arlo. I don’t want you to feel like you have to share anything with me that you don’t want to.’

‘I trust you. You’re a good friend,’ he said, one corner of his mouth pulling his lips into a half-smile for just a second before it faded again. ‘And since you so clearly notice when I’m blaming myself for things that go wrong, I think you deserve to know why I do it.’

A warm feeling tingled in her chest. _He trusts me._ ‘Okay,’ she whispered, letting her hand remain in its place between them as a way of reassuring him. She watched as he glanced away, took a deep breath, then sat back against the backrest of the sofa and gazed down at his locked hands in his lap.

‘I grew up in the countryside of Portia. It was me, my mum and dad, and my… my little sister. Julia.’

Olivia nodded slowly. He’d never said anything about a sister before.

‘I’m three years older,’ he continued, hands fiddling with the holster on his leg. ‘But we were always told how similar we were. And we were so close when we were kids, too. I really loved her. She used to be so curious of everything, leading her to always want to try stupid things that I had to talk her out of every time.’ He had been smiling during his last sentences, but now he swallowed and turned serious again. ‘By the time I was eight, our parents were so used to me watching out for her that they let us play outside whenever we wanted. They trusted me.’

‘Sounds like the Arlo I know,’ she said with a careful smile.

He didn’t smile back. ‘Yeah, well, they were wrong. The last time I ever watched     Julia, we were playing by a stream in the forest when she fell into the water. It was in the middle of winter, and it was freezing cold. She had disappeared beneath the surface before I could even shout her name.’ He closed his eyes and drew in a shuddering breath. His hands had closed into fists in his lap. ‘Mum and dad never forgave me.’

Olivia stared at him, heart frozen in her chest. ‘Arlo…’

‘They said it was my fault, and they were right. I never should’ve let her get close to the water. I was supposed to watch out for her, to keep her safe.’

‘Arlo,’ she said again, trying to get him to look at her, but he kept his eyes squeezed closed.

‘I stayed with them for eight more years,’ he continued, voice strained. ‘Until I was sixteen. It was like… like living with your prison guards. They could barely even look at me, but they knew they had a responsibility to keep me alive. So that’s what they did. They kept me alive for eight years, and when I was sixteen, I just left without a word. I never heard from them again, not even once. I think we were both glad to be rid of each other.’

‘Arlo, I can’t even…’ She dug her fingers into the couch cushion, wanting so desperately to touch him but not knowing if he would be okay with it. ‘I can’t even imagine what that must have been like. I had no idea.’

He opened his eyes. His gaze was surprisingly soft when he looked at her. ‘How would you know? I never told anyone.’

‘Not even Nora?’

The moment the question had left her lips, she regretted it. How could she be so insensitive as to bring her up right now? She was about to take it back, but Arlo didn’t look surprised by her question.

‘I can see why you’d think that,’ he said. ‘You heard us, didn’t you? By the well.’

Olivia felt her cheeks go hot. ‘I, um—’

‘It’s fine. It’s a valid question. And no, I haven’t told Nora.’ He paused, rubbing his neck. ‘But I think I’ve figured out what I really feel about her.’

She tensed. ‘Oh?’

‘When she confessed to me a few weeks back, I thought maybe I felt something for her, too… And I do, there’s no doubt about that, but my feelings for her aren’t romantic. I get that now.’ He gave her a sad smile. ‘She reminds me of Julia.’

With just that one sentence, Olivia’s jealousy was completely blown away. She felt stupid for getting so upset about their secret meeting behind the clinic. Clearly she had been so caught up in her own pettiness that she couldn’t even see how important Nora was for Arlo.

‘Having said that,’ Arlo continued in a low voice, ‘I don’t think she’s gotten over me yet.’

 _You don’t say,_ she was about to reply, but she kept her mouth shut.

‘I think I’m being selfish, spending time with her even though I know how she feels.’

‘Maybe you should give her some more time to adjust,’ she agreed, checking herself to make sure she wasn’t just saying it out of jealousy. ‘And I don’t think the nightly meetings in secret are in your favor, either.’

He nodded. ‘You’re probably right.’ With a shuddering sigh, he relaxed his hands in his lap and gave Olivia a small smile. ‘Thank you for listening to me, Olivia.’

Not being able to bear the distance between them for even a second longer, she scooted closer and held out her hand to him. ‘Thank you for trusting me,’ she said.

Arlo considered her hand for a moment. Then he took it and intertwined his fingers with hers. Her heart skipped a beat. It was silly, but his mere touch could do some crazy things to her.

They sat in silence for a moment, just holding hands and breathing together. After a little while, Olivia leaned her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. He let go of her hand to wrap his arm around her and pull her close to his chest, leaning down to kiss her on the top of her head. She swallowed, heartbeats thundering in her head. Wasn’t this way too intimate for two people who were determined to just be casual? Should she put a stop to this?

She knew she should, but it just felt so nice. She felt safe and warm in his arms, and if she angled her head a little, she could even hear the heartbeats in his chest. They were beating almost as fast as hers.

Encouraged by that fact, she pulled her legs up on the sofa, then wriggled a little in his grip so that she was facing him. He looked down at her, his gaze intense. Did he feel the same? Did he want her as much as she wanted him?

He moved his left hand to support her neck, his fingers digging into her hair as he leaned in closer. She closed her eyes, feeling him pause just above her, with his breath fanning out over her lips and face. She could smell a vague hint of coffee on his breath, but it wasn’t unpleasant at all.

In her mind, Olivia begged him to kiss her, and she almost did it out loud, too, her breathing getting more and more ragged by the second. How could someone get her so riled up just by breathing the same air as her?

When the kiss never came, she opened her eyes. ‘Arlo,’ she whispered, studying his face above her. His eyes looked sad, which made her pause. ‘Are you _mmmff_ —’

He covered her mouth with his, not desperately like last night, but softly, as if his kiss was just an extension of their embrace. She felt his fingers entangle themselves with her hair as his lips parted to welcome her inside, their tongues touching tentatively at first before beginning a slow, intimate dance in time with their joined breathing.

At some point during their kiss, Arlo changed his grip around her and hoisted her up into his arms before getting off the couch, holding her against his chest. They stopped kissing for a moment as he carried her over to the bedroom, and she could feel his heart thud in his chest when he let her down in her bed and laid down next to her, pulling her face to his to continue where they had left off.

Almost in a dreamlike state, she removed the holsters across his torso and around his hips and leg, dropping them to the floor. She zipped open his jacket and pushed it off his shoulders, waiting as he shook it all the way off. It joined the holsters next to the bed.

One of Arlo’s hands moved down to her hip, snaked around to her back and slid up beneath her t-shirt. He spread out his fingers against the skin on the small of her back and pulled her body closer to him. Each article of clothing removed next disappeared so naturally, so effortlessly that it just felt like it was the way it was supposed to be, and eventually, they were both completely naked, and even that felt natural.

Arlo moved so that he was on top of her, supporting his weight on his right elbow while his left hand slid down along her thigh, grabbing the hollow of her knee to pull her leg up beside his chest, then even further up so that her ankle rested on top of his shoulder, leaving her wide open for him. He slowly trailed his fingers back down along the inside of her thigh until it reached her most sensitive areas. She gasped, her body involuntarily arching up beneath him as his fingertips grazed her. He moaned quietly in satisfaction, teasing her for a moment longer before slowly pushing one finger inside of her. She dug her fingernails into his back, letting out breathy moans as he shaped his finger into a hook and started massaging her.

‘Arlo,’ she breathed, ‘I want you so badly.’

He left her lips to plant a row of kisses along her jawline. ‘I want you too,’ he murmured, his voice sending a pleasant shiver through her body. ‘Do you have condoms?’

‘The drawer next to the bed,’ she whispered.

She watched him reach toward the drawer in question; watched his arm muscles flex as he pulled it open and dug around for a while before he found what he was looking for. Pushing the drawer closed again, he leaned in to give her a passionate kiss that made her toes curl. He opened the packet with the condom and started putting it on, breaking the kiss but touching his lips against her chin, her cheek, and her nose in an intimate way that made her feel strangely cared for. Then he grabbed hold of her ankle, which was still perched on his shoulder.

‘Okay?’ he asked.

‘Yes,’ she breathed.

Keeping a close watch on her face, he slowly pushed himself inside of her, and because of the position of her leg, he could get all the way in, filling her up completely. She gasped at the sensation. She’d been with other men before, but for some reason, this felt so different; maybe it was the intimacy of the moment, or just how careful he was with her, but as he leaned his forehead against her and started moving his hips back and forth, she felt… safe. And that singular feeling of being with someone she could trust so completely was somehow more arousing and intense than any hard sex she’d ever had.

More than once, she had to stop herself from saying _I love you,_ because she suspected he wouldn’t be happy about it, and she didn’t even know if she really meant it. It could just be a heat-of-the-moment-thing, and she didn’t want to spoil anything just because of a stupid impulse.

But Arlo didn’t seem as concerned as her; even though he didn’t actually say that he loved her, he kept whispering sweet nothings into her ear, things that might otherwise have sounded cheesy but now managed to hit just the right spot. Things like, _“I can’t get enough of you”,_ _“I love how you feel,”_ or even, _“You’re so beautiful like this”_.

And after he returned his fingers down between her legs, and as his breaths started getting more shallow, and his lips became more eager against her neck and shoulder, she felt something building inside her that seemed like it would drown her if she let it go. Arlo must have noticed that she was holding back, because he started pounding into her harder, nibbled at her earlobe and whispered, ‘Let go for me, darling.’

And so she did as he asked; she let go, and the thing that had been waiting to collapse within her crashed to pieces and overwhelmed her completely from the inside out. As her legs started cramping, she screamed out his name in desperation, and apparently that did it for him, too, because he groaned and closed his eyes, clenching his jaw as he let go together with her, and she thought she had already seen him at his sexiest, but apparently he still had a thousand more levels, because the way he scrunched up his face and forced out a _“fuck”_ between gritted teeth as he came inside of her was the singularly hottest thing she had ever experienced in her life.

They came down from their high together; panting, sweaty, neither of them willing to part. When Arlo had calmed down a little, he stroked her hair and kissed her softly on the lips before pulling out of her and removing his condom. She lay on her back almost paralyzed, staring up into the ceiling as she tried to collect her thoughts. She’d just had the most mindblowing sex in her life so far, and it had also been the most emotional she’d experienced. What did that mean? What did it mean about her and Arlo?

‘You’re amazing,’ he murmured now as he leaned in to plant a kiss on her temple. ‘That was amazing.’

‘Yeah,’ she exhaled, half-amused, half-terrified. ‘It was.’

Arlo studied her face for a moment, tilting his head to the side in a way that reminded her of how Pinky sometimes looked when she suspected something fishy. Then his eyes widened in fear.

‘Did I hurt you? Oh _shit_ , I forgot about your wounds—’

Olivia pressed an index finger against his lips to shut him up. ‘No,’ she said, ‘you didn’t. Arlo, it was perfect.’

The look of fear in his eyes remained for a few seconds, but then he seemed to relax. He lay down beside her, softly tracing his fingers in circles across her naked stomach.

‘It wasn’t just casual, though, was it?’ he asked in a low voice.

She swallowed, knowing that whatever she decided to say, it would change everything that came after this, and she wasn’t sure she wanted it to.

‘I don’t think it was,’ she whispered, and she could hear her own fear shining through in her voice.


	10. Dark Blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Arlo and Olivia suffer in solitude.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I rewrote the beginning for this chapter four times. It was hard, because I wasn't sure how far I wanted to go with it. But here it is, a chapter full of angst, served for you on a silver platter. I'd love to hear your thoughts! :)

Crossing his arms over his chest for comfort, Arlo stared into the hard, gray eyes of his long-time friend and mentor. The carefully chiseled gaze didn’t blink, didn’t judge, didn’t even really see him. Maybe that was why he liked coming here for advice: in the end, it was just him, his inner turmoil and a flying pig made out of stone.

He tilted his head to the left and heaved a deep sigh before lowering his gaze. It was two in the morning and his boots were wet from his walk through the dewy grass.

His night had been paradise.

His night had been hell on Earth.

His night had been the most lovely torture he could imagine going through.

_I can’t believe I roped myself into this._

He ran a hand through his hair to get it out of his face, and inadvertently remembered how Olivia had done the same just a short while ago, lying naked beside him beneath her bed covers. Her eyes had been full of sorrow but her hand had been confident, almost as if she already knew every little curl and slope of his hair but wanted to feel them between her fingers one last time, just to imprint them fully into her memory.

And she’d pulled his face to her and kissed him, and it must’ve been at least the thousandth kiss they shared that night; and when she crawled back into his arms and wrapped her leg around his hip, asking in a whisper if he wanted to put on another condom, and he reached into her bedside table for the fourth time that night, they both knew it would be the last time he did.

She’d been soft and warm around him, her body moving together with his like they were one single organism, and everything had been slow bliss, but then she had started crying; softly at first, then interspersed with small sobs.

‘Olivia, darling,’ he’d mumbled, caressing her cheek, ‘maybe we should call it a night—’

‘No!’ she’d exclaimed, voice thick with tears. ‘Please, just this last time. Please, Arlo.’

After a moment of hesitation, he’d responded by kissing her softly, squeezing her close to him as he started rolling his hips into her again. Her tears hadn’t stopped flowing even when she came, crying out his name for the umpteenth time that night.

But soon afterwards, he’d pushed himself off her and gotten out of bed before she could stop him. He’d cursed to himself as he got dressed, almost returned to her side once, then anxiously shook his head and spoke two simple words before fleeing the room:

‘I’m sorry.’

What a joke. All of that—everything they had gone through in just the past hours—and “I’m sorry” was the best thing he could come up with?

All those hours of kissing, cuddling, having sex and talking about what would happen next…

It would have been better if he’d just left immediately after the first time. As it was, they’d just made the whole thing a hundred times worse by keeping the intimacy going through the night. As it was… his feelings for Olivia had grown tenfold. But it had been almost impossible to leave her; he only managed to do so in the end because he knew he had to get up and scope out another ruin early the next morning, and his sense of duty finally prevailed. The look on Olivia’s face, though… The look on her face when he uttered his weak apology…

Arlo sighed again as he returned his gaze to the gray statue.

‘I fucked up, didn’t I?’ he asked quietly. ‘We both did.’

After they had first realized their relationship was no longer (and maybe hadn’t ever been) casual, they’d reluctantly agreed that they couldn’t keep seeing each other. Surprisingly, Olivia had been the driving force behind that decision.

‘Your dream is to leave this place,’ she’d murmured as she ran her knuckles across the stubble on his cheek. ‘You need to focus on your work as Captain, so you can get good enough to get into the Flying Pigs.’

Because that was one of the secrets he had entrusted her with that night. A badly kept secret perhaps, but it wasn’t something he had a habit of telling people about. He’d already failed the entrance exam several times, and he didn’t want anyone’s pity, so he’d kept quiet about it. But if he couldn’t be with Olivia, he felt like she at least deserved to know the truth about why that was. And it was probably a good call, because he wasn’t sure he would’ve been able to leave her side if she hadn’t insisted on it as strongly as she had.

‘But we haven’t even tried,’ he’d murmured back, tenderly grabbing hold of her hand and squeezing her fingers as he looked into her deep eyes. ‘Shouldn’t we?’

She’d shaken her head then; decisively, but not without a hint of regret on her face. ‘I think it’s best if we don’t.’

He understood, of course. If they tried and failed, it would probably hurt her more than it would hurt him, seeing that it was his choice to even try for the Flying Pigs in the first place. He had a purpose; she would just have clung on to hope. And he probably wouldn’t have delivered on it.

Arlo swallowed as he stared into the dead eyes of the pig statue. ‘I know I should try to move on,’ he whispered. ‘But… I think I’m in love with her.’ He paused, then added, ‘Are you really worth it?’

He waited; no response came, except for a mild breeze tugging at his hair.

No divine help, then… It seemed like he was on his own this time as well.

* * *

 

When Olivia’s alarm rang that morning, she opened her eyes and just stared at the clock. Seven already.

She pressed her second pillow over her ear in an attempt to shut out the sound, groaning when she realized the pillowcase still smelled like Arlo. How was she supposed to forget him when he left his stupid scent lying around in her bed? Couldn’t he have torn that away in the same way he’d torn out her heart?

… Okay, that was unfair. Arlo wasn’t really at fault here; at least not more than her. He might not have told her about the Flying Pigs entrance exam before, but he’d been very clear about having too little time for a serious relationship. He’d been clear about not being able to be the partner he would want to be. And she’d told him that was okay, she didn’t need anything serious, _she just wanted to fuck him._ And she’d almost even tricked herself with that one.

There hadn’t been much fuckery last night. Not much at all, actually. Maybe she could blame this whole catastrophe on the fact that he’d _made love to her_ the second time they’d even been naked with each other—not once, not twice; not even _thrice_ , but _four times_ —because how in the hell was she supposed to know that would happen? They’d barely even started on this casual thing, and he’d gone and opened up to her and followed it up with the most loving and intimate sex she’d ever had? It wasn’t fair. It just wasn’t.

Eventually, the alarm stopped blaring, and her bedroom returned to its thick silence. Olivia squeezed her eyes closed as hard as she could in an attempt to shut the world out, but it just gave her a headache.

Still, she stayed in bed for several more hours.

Until there was a decisive knock on her door.

Olivia cursed under her breath. Again? What did Remington and Sam need her help with this time? Maybe they would go away if she ignored them.

But the knocking returned after a short silence; even more insistent this time.

‘Oh for fuck’s sake,’ Olivia muttered as she shoved the pillow and blanket off and got out of bed. She was still naked, so she pulled on her red bathrobe, tied an angry knot around her waist and ran a hand through her hair to get it into some semblance of order before opening her front door. She had just opened her mouth to tell the Civil Corps crew that she was sick and couldn’t help them with whatever issue they had hoped she could resolve for them, when she realized only one person stood in front of her, and it was neither Sam nor Remington.

Mint’s cheeks quickly took after the color of her robe. He started backing away, stammering an apology under his breath.

‘Mint!’ she exclaimed, crossing her arms over her chest to feel less naked. ‘It’s okay, you don’t have to go. Did you need something?’

He stopped, giving her an uncertain look. She noticed he didn’t glance downward even once.

‘I, er… just came here to get my blueprints. If you’re finished with them?’

She blinked at him for a moment before she realized what he was talking about. ‘Oh, your blueprints! Yeah, yeah, I’ve looked at them. I made some notes too, from a Builder’s perspective. Hang on, I’ll get them for you.’

Mint looked relieved. ‘Thanks.’

She spun around and jogged into the kitchen, where Mint’s blueprints were still spread out across the table. He’d asked a couple of days ago if she would be willing to take a look at them just to make sure he hadn’t missed anything important—a bit strange, considering that he was a top tier engineer—and she’d happily agreed, knowing that she’d be able to learn a thing or two by studying his work.

She carefully rolled up the paper and returned to Mint by the door. ‘Here.’

He took it and unrolled it just slightly, nodding when he read one of her notes in the corner. ‘Thanks, Liv.’ He sighed deeply as he looked up at her again. ‘Well, I better leave.’

She frowned, studying his face. ‘Is everything okay?’

Mint gave her a hesitant look. ‘Well… Mr. Gale told me this morning that the deadline for restoring the harbor has been moved back due to pressure from the Alliance government. I worry I’m not going to be able to get it done in time.’

‘Pressure from the Alliance government?’

He shrugged. ‘Something about the importance of establishing a more efficient trade route between the cities of the alliance. Apparently they need it in working order earlier than expected. Mr. Gale didn’t know a lot.’

‘I’ll help you.’

Mint widened his eyes. ‘You will?’

It wasn’t until she’d spoken the words that she realized what a perfect opportunity this was. If Mint was worried he wouldn’t finish in time, that meant there was a lot of work to be done on the harbor, and _that_ meant that she would be able to distract herself, possibly for a few weeks at least.

‘Yeah,’ she said, smiling. ‘I’ll do anything you need. I don’t have any other jobs right now, and I can skip doing commissions for a while. We’ll finish this harbor, don’t you worry.’

His shoulders visibly lowered, his lips finally bending into a smile of his own. ‘Oh, you’re a life saver!’ His gaze flickered down to her robe, then up again.

‘I’ll meet you there in half an hour, okay?’ she hurried to say, her smile now a little more forced.

‘Thank you,’ he said again, made a small bow and turned to leave.

Olivia closed the door and heaved a deep sigh. Mint had given her the perfect opportunity to distract herself, but she just wished she could have worn something a little more representable when he did.

The first thing she did after putting on some actual clothes was to tear all the linens off the bed and throw them into one of her ancient washing machines. She then proceeded to sweep the bedroom floor, straighten some of the furniture they’d knocked over their first night together, and strip her sofa of its fabrics and throw it into another washing machine. Arlo-be-gone!

When she was done, she stood in the middle of her little home, sniffing the air around her and relishing in the utter lack of Arlo. No more handsome men in her house who could seduce her with just a few murmured words. No more searing gazes or unspoken desires. No more holding hands, or sharing secrets, or kissing, or—

 _No._ She shook her head violently, pressing her palms against her temples. _Don’t go there._

No more softly whispered words of comfort, or tender caresses, or heart-meltingly slow sex.

Olivia swallowed. Before she could change her mind, she marched up to her bedside table and pulled open the drawer. There, among a few trinkets she’d dug up in the ruins, laid four more condoms, neatly packaged into flat little squares. She took them all out and sat down on her now naked bed, holding the packages in her palms; _staring_ at them.

She should get rid of them. If she didn’t have any, she wouldn’t be able to make any hasty mistakes in case Arlo showed up. Maybe it wasn’t likely that he _would_ , but she could still be smart and remove the risk entirely. She could have some foresight.

She wasn’t sure how long she sat there with the condoms in her palms before finally getting up, ripping open all the packets and discarding the contents in her trash bin. She even covered them with some used tissues for good measure. Exhaling in relief, she straightened and smiled at her now completely Arlo-secured home.

 _Now_ she was ready to forget him.

* * *

 

‘I am SO BORED,’ Sam groaned, throwing her head back in a dramatic gesture. Coupled with the way that her body was draped over the armchair, the pose made her look like a spoiled queen—or maybe princess—who’d grown sick of being locked inside her castle. Thinking about it, that actually seemed like an accurate simile.

‘Take a walk,’ Remington suggested as he removed his holsters on his way up the stairs to his bedroom.

Sam sighed loudly. ‘That’s not what I’m talking about, you know that. I wish I could’ve come with you today.’

Arlo placed one hand by his side and pressed the other against the wall, supporting himself as he paused to arch an eyebrow at Sam. He and Remington had just returned from a day-long mission in the Somber Marsh, looking for more power stones for the city’s various power needs. It wasn’t one of the most exciting types of jobs, which made it all the more telling that Sam was disappointed she couldn’t join them.

‘What are you doing here, Sam? You’re supposed to take it easy until your wound heals.’

‘I was hoping you would spar with me,’ she said, sitting up straight. She clearly tried not to wince when her arm accidentally knocked into the side of the chair, but he noticed the change in her expression.

‘No can do,’ he said, ‘but I’d be happy to escort you on a walk outside the city walls.’

Sam rolled her eyes. ‘That’s so chivalrous of you.’

Arlo smirked. He made an exaggerated bow. ‘Knight Arlo of the Civil Corps of Portia,’ he announced, ‘at your service, madam.’

She snorted, but he could see amusement tingle in her eyes. ‘Who are you calling madam? I’m five years younger than you, old man.’ With a small grunt of exertion, she got out of the chair. ‘But fine. You may “escort me”.’ She gave him a secretive smile. ‘I think we have some things we need to discuss, anyway.’

At that, Arlo’s smirk faded. He followed Sam with his gaze as she sauntered over to the door. Pushing it open with her good arm, she looked back at him over her shoulder. ‘Coming, my brave knight?’

He followed her outside without responding. In the midst of trying to rid his mind of thoughts of Olivia, he’d completely forgotten that Sam had seemingly been on to something in the clinic yesterday. Maybe it wasn’t anything to worry about; she might not even be close to the truth. But Sam’s gut feelings were usually more accurate than they should reasonably be.

‘Anything exciting happen today?’ she asked as they started walking.

‘Nothing noteworthy, I’m afraid,’ he replied, cautious of her intentions.

‘Must be a nice change of pace.’

He raised his eyebrows. ‘That sounds odd coming from you.’

‘Oh, _I’m_ not enjoying the change of pace. But _you’ve_ gone through a lot of drama recently, haven’t you?’

So that’s where this was going, huh. Arlo looked straight ahead down the path; they were almost at Peach Plaza already.

‘It comes and goes,’ he said with a shrug.

Sam gave him a knowing look. ‘I suppose it does. Comes and goes… Kind of like you do, in pretty girls’ homes.’

He looked away, not wanting Sam to see his expression. He was fairly sure she’d be able to read him like an open book if she did.

‘Still haven’t learned how to be appropriate around your boss, I see.’

‘Everyone else is always so appropriate around you,’ she said, grinning. ‘Must get old pretty fast. You’re lucky to have me.’

Despite himself, he smiled. She did have a point… But no, there was someone else who also refused to be appropriate around him. His smile quickly faded again.

‘I suppose I am.’

Sam must have noticed the change in his mood, because she made a point out of leaning forward to study his face as they walked. He clenched his jaw, but he couldn’t turn away without her getting suspicious.

‘You can talk to me, you know.’

‘Thanks, but I don’t really have anything to talk about.’

‘I can think of at least one thing.’

‘And what’s that?’

‘Why we’ve stopped outside Olivia’s house.’

Arlo turned his head, blinking in surprise as he realized she was right. Without meaning to, he’d taken Sam straight to the Builder’s front gate, where they’d apparently stopped walking.

‘I, um,’ he started, reaching for a plausible excuse, ‘I thought we should stop by, since we’d be walking past her house anyway. She’s injured too, so she might be just as bored as you.’

Sam smirked. ‘Good idea. Why don’t you go ahead and knock, then?’

Arlo froze. Oh shit, what had he gotten himself into now? Returning to talk to Olivia already would be disrespectful to her and would hurt them both unnecessarily, but how would he get out of this without letting Sam in on the truth? Maybe he _could_ knock… Olivia would want to keep this a secret too, wouldn’t she? So she’d understand why he had to do it, to keep Sam from finding out.

On the other hand… she’d been so distressed yesterday, and he really didn’t want to hurt her even more. It was his fault he was in this mess; he’d take the hit.

‘Sam,’ he murmured, taking a deep breath, ‘I can’t knock.’

Her smile widened. ‘Why not? I bet she’d love to take a walk with us.’

‘No, she wouldn’t.’ He heaved a deep sigh. ‘I’ll tell you what’s been going on, but not here. Let’s keep walking.’

Sam turned serious, which he was grateful for. She nodded and came along when he started walking, waiting patiently while he searched for the right way to tell her. The words didn’t come to him until they were almost by the river, when he realized the best place to start would be with something familiar.

‘You know I’m training to join the Flying Pigs,’ he said. ‘Their next entrance exam is at the end of Autumn, and if I get in, I’ll be leaving Portia. Maybe for good.’

Sam nodded slowly, glancing down at her feet. ‘Yeah. I know.’

‘Between training for the exam and going on Civil Corps missions, I don’t have a lot of free time, but since I might be going away soon, I haven’t seen that as an issue. Building relationships with people would just be… futile.’

‘Everyone in Portia loves you, Arlo,’ Sam interjected. ‘Building relationships is unavoidable for someone like you.’

‘Well, I don’t want to make it worse than it has to be,’ he mumbled. ‘But I recently broke that rule.’ He shook his head, wondering how he could have been so damn stupid. ‘I got close to someone. To… Olivia. We… we have been… seeing each other. But it all went so fast, and I feel so comfortable with her already, and one thing lead to another, and now…’ He trailed off.

‘Oh, damn,’ Sam murmured. ‘You fell in love with each other, and you thought you couldn’t give her what she wants?’

‘I _can’t_ ,’ he exclaimed, perhaps a bit louder than he’d intended. ‘I can’t, Sam, don’t you see that?’

She grabbed his elbow, forcing him to stop and look at her. Her gaze was understanding, but hard. ‘I have all the faith in the world that you will get into the Flying Pigs someday, Arlo,’ she said, pronouncing every word carefully, ‘but I don’t see why breaking it off now when you clearly love her is better than enjoying what you have for as long as you can.’

He stared at her. ‘But I barely have any time as it is. I’ll just hurt her.’

‘Then be honest with her about when and how long you can spend time with her. It’s not like you’re busy every single minute of your life. I promise you that you’d be able to find the time for a quick kiss, or a simple dinner, or why not spend a night at her place every now and then?’

‘And we’ll grow closer and more in love, and then I’ll leave, and it’ll hurt a thousand times as much as it did yesterday.’

Sam shrugged. ‘You don’t have to follow my advice. I’m just saying it’s not as black and white as you seem to think.’

Sam started walking again, but this time she went up to the water and crouched down to run her fingers across the surface. Arlo watched, scowling as he tried to calm the inner turmoil his fellow officer had set off with her arguments about his love life. Maybe she was right. Maybe it was stupid to give up this early. He and Olivia might have the chance to spend several months in love with each other, and who was he to steal that away from the both of them?

But then he remembered that he had actually suggested last night that they could try and see where it would lead them… and Olivia’s response had been, _“I think it’s best if we don’t.”_ She thought it was for the best that they didn’t even try. That, if anything, should be proof enough that she didn’t want the few months of being in love that he could offer.

He walked up beside Sam and sat down in the grass, watching as she removed her shoes and dipped her feet into the water. The little sliver of hope within him that had been sparked to life by Sam’s suggestion slowly died as the sun set, coloring the sky in a white-ish blue, then orange, then purple, and finally a darker and darker blue, until the color aligned perfectly with his mood.


	11. Rogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Olivia risks her life for an inanimate object and Arlo fakes it 'til he makes it.

Arlo dropped another metal piece into the pile of salvage that he, Sam and Remy had gathered from all the AI’s they’d defeated in the new ruin. All three of them stood around the pile, staring at it like they were afraid it would start to move; that all the dislodged pieces would combine into a mechanical patchwork monster that they would have to fight and defeat all over again. In reality, Arlo was fairly sure all of them were thinking something quite different.

There were more pieces in their little collection than usual; even in the most jam-packed ruins found around Portia, they’d never managed to collect a pile of this size. The number of rogue AI’s had skyrocketed in this one ruin, and seeing as it seemed to be part of a larger network of blocked corridors and collapsed buildings, it indicated that the number would increase even further rather than diminish as they went onward.

‘These rogue AI’s just keep popping up more and more lately, don’t they?’

Sam’s voice was lighthearted, but there was clearly something hidden between the lines that she didn’t say. That she didn’t _need_ to say. All three of them knew it anyway. A silence lowered itself over them like a thick blanket, but eventually, someone would have to break it.

As Captain, Arlo figured it was his responsibility.

‘I’m going to have to report it,’ he said, and both Sam and Remy nodded solemnly.

Reporting an anomaly to the Alliance government meant admitting that they weren’t in control of their own city. That the Civil Corps weren’t equipped to handle the issue on their own. It was a stupid thing, because the cities of the Alliance were—at least on paper—supposed to be sovereigns in relation to each other and the government, but in reality, the government tended to see every little weakness in one of its cities as an opportunity to assert their dominance and stick their hands into the cookie jar to see how much they could get away with.

Still, as a city of the Alliance, they had a responsibility to report anomalies like this one, because it could pose a danger to the other cities, and that meant the Alliance had a right to intervene.

The atmosphere in the ruin weighed heavily on his shoulders, so Arlo made an attempt at lightening it up a little.

‘These scraps will really help our Builders,’ he said. ‘Old world alloys can’t be reproduced with our current technology.’

‘The Church won’t like it,’ Remington pointed out.

‘Well, it’s up for Gale to decide what to do with it all. Until then, we’ll leave it here.’

Bringing the metal scraps into the city before the mayor had approved would just allow the Church to start fear-mongering. Nora would be understanding; she was just against the use of ancient weapons. Lee was another story, though.

‘See if you can close the door in the West corridor,’ Arlo told Sam. ‘After that, let’s head back.’

He sighed as he lowered his gaze to stare at the pile again. He didn’t like this; not one bit.

* * *

 

When the painting brush slipped out of her grip, Olivia’s gut reaction was to throw herself after it—which, considering that she was standing at the top floor of the new lighthouse, was not the most safe impulse she had ever gotten. Her brain caught up in time to remind her to grab hold of something static, and so she managed to keep herself hanging securely, with her entire torso dangling over the railing. She let out an involuntary gasp; she wasn’t afraid of heights, but seeing the ground so far below her suddenly made her stomach lurch.

‘Liv!’

Mint ran into her vision, his face a picture of unbridled fear.

‘I’m okay,’ she shouted, but he was already running inside the lighthouse.

Olivia pushed herself back into safety, her back slamming into the wall. She sank into a crouch and ran both hands through her hair. It was just a brush. She could make a new one, if this one broke. No big deal. So why had she been so reckless?

Mint came up beside her and leaned down, supporting himself with his hands against his thighs. She looked up at him and let him study her face with a worried gaze.

‘You saw everything, didn’t you?’ she murmured.

He sighed. ‘Can you please take a rest? We’re already ahead of schedule, you know. You’ve done an incredible job, but you’re wearing yourself out. It’s endangering everyone.’

She opened her mouth to argue, but he seemed to know what she was about to say.

‘Yes, it is—what if you make a mistake somewhere? It could lead to fatal flaws in the construction. People could get hurt.’

‘I get it,’ she said. She took a deep breath. ‘But I can’t take a break.’

Mint frowned. ‘Why not?’

She looked away, considering whether to tell him the truth or not. Working alongside him for the past two weeks had inevitably made her get to know him better, and they were both getting more and more comfortable with each other. But involving him in her love life seemed… inappropriate. They were almost like coworkers now, and so it seemed right to keep their relationship professional.

‘It’s… Arlo,’ she said carefully.

Mint raised his eyebrows. ‘What about him?’

‘He wants me to come with the Corps to clear out more ruins,’ she lied, ‘but after last time, I’m really scared. I don’t want him to know that. And I feel responsible to help, since they need more people and I’ve helped them in the past. But I just can’t face it right now, so…’

‘… So you’re hiding out here,’ Mint finished.

She nodded.

He let out a long sigh, then sat down next to her, leaning his back against the wall. ‘That sounds… awful.’

‘But you’re right,’ Olivia continued. ‘I _am_ endangering everyone.’

‘If you want to avoid Arlo, you can take a rest here in the harbor. I could get you some pillows and a blanket.’

She smiled at him. ‘That’s really kind of you, but you don’t have to do that. I’ll find a way to make myself comfortable.’

‘Come on,’ he grinned. ‘Let me do this for you. You’ve done so much for me in this project.’

Olivia found herself blushing, but she wasn’t sure why. He was just telling her she’d done a good job, one coworker to another. It wasn’t anything more than that. Mint was way too oblivious to even know how to flirt.

‘Fine,’ she relented. ‘A pillow and a blanket would be nice.’

‘You won’t regret it,’ he said as he got up on his feet again. ‘I’m an expert in napping. You’ll never want to sleep in a real bed again.’

She laughed. It felt good to be able to do that without restraint—she even let out an involuntary snort.

‘I’ll be the judge of that!’

Before leaving, Mint gave her a warm smile. ‘I couldn’t wish for a better judge.’

As he ducked inside again, Olivia swallowed. He was known to be romantically oblivious, it was true… But he could still be stupidly smooth sometimes.

* * *

 

Arlo rapped his knuckles against the doorframe, startling the short man behind his large desk.

‘You called for me?’

‘Ah, Arlo!’ Gale jumped down from his chair and gestured for the Civil Corps Captain to come inside. ‘Yes, yes, I’ve just received word from the government. They’re sending one of their representatives to inspect the ruins around Portia. Expect them here in a few days.’

Arlo gave a curt nod. ‘Great. Thanks for the info.’

‘As the Captain of our Civil Corps, I’d like you to welcome the inspector with open arms and assist them in any way possible.’ The short man sighed. ‘I know this isn’t what you or anyone else wanted to happen, but it’s our responsibility as part of the Alliance. You made the right call, Arlo.’

‘Of course. My job is to keep all Portians safe, and if that means I have to call for outside assistance sometimes, then I will not hesitate to do so.’

Gale smiled. ‘You’re a good man, Arlo. Keep up the good work.’

Arlo nodded again, this time with a small smile of his own. ‘If that’s all?’

‘By all means, I don’t want to keep you from your duties.’ He turned to return to his desk, then stopped. ‘In fact, I remember Albert saying something about needing you down at the harbor. Perhaps you could stop by, when you have time?’

‘Absolutely.’

He left the mayor’s office and stepped out into the searing hot sunlight. It was nearing the end of summer, but the heat of the season still hadn’t given in to the looming Autumn around the corner. Arlo had taken his jacket and bandana off already, but he wished now that he’d had some shades to cover his eyes with. There wasn’t much he could do about the rest of his appearance; the various straps and holsters holding his weapons in place were a must, and he couldn’t exactly walk around in shorts, could he? He had to be dressed for his position as Captain, ready to jump into battle or go ruin diving at a moment’s notice. Since he’d joined the Civil Corps, he’d grown to strongly dislike Summer. He hoped Autumn would come with a surprise attack soon.

He looked around the plaza. Because of the heat, not many people were out and about. Those who were either had to work or were headed to the beach to cool off in the water. Sam and Remington had gone to fetch some samples from their scrap pile to present to the mayor, and Arlo was supposed to patrol around the Collapsed Wasteland. But he should go see how the work with the harbor was faring—not only because Albert had apparently asked for it, but also because Arlo had already come up with enough excuses in the past weeks for why he shouldn’t go there. He had been too busy, or there were other pressing matters, or he’d heard things were going just fine, or any other weak excuse he could present at the top of his mind. The only people who knew the real reason were him and Sam… and quite probably Olivia.

When he’d first found out that Olivia was helping out with the construction of the new harbor, he’d been incredibly relieved. He wouldn’t risk running into her as much, and she would be able to distract herself from the hurt he’d given her. But as the Captain, there was no location in Portia he wouldn’t have to visit sooner or later, and he was starting to feel embarrassed over how long he had postponed going to the harbor.

But no more. This was a perfect day to go there, because the sea breezes coming in toward the beach should be able to cool him down at least a little. He could have a look around, see what Albert wanted his help with, and then splash his face with some water. Maybe Olivia would be busy with something else, anyway; he might not even have to see her. And if he did, it would be with other people around, i.e. no risk of making a fool out of himself or getting tempted to fall back into their easy ways.

After returning to the HQ to mount Spacer, Arlo set out through the city gates in the direction of the harbor. Albert caught sight of him from a distance and walked up to meet him by the Dee-Dee stop.

‘Captain! How kind of you to join us.’

Arlo clenched his jaw. He never knew how to interpret Albert; was he giving him a gibe, or just being plain annoying?

‘The mayor told me you needed something?’ he asked as he dismounted Spacer and tied him to the nearby tree.

‘Yes, that’s right. Come along, will you?’

Arlo followed the businessman along the path between the buildings; some were finished, some were still missing vital parts like a roof or windows, but he had to admit that they’d come a long way in just a few weeks. An involuntary surge of pride filled him when he realized this must be thanks to Olivia’s hard work.

‘Here we are,’ Albert said, stopping by one of the buildings missing a roof. ‘Look.’

At first, Arlo didn’t see anything strange about the small house, but then his gaze caught on to something strange on one of the side walls. He walked closer, leaning in to inspect the ominous black writing.

‘“Don’t build this harbor”,’ he read with a frown, ‘“or I will burn it to the ground”.’

‘Should we take it seriously?’ Albert asked beside him.

Arlo straightened and turned to face the other man. ‘Of course. We don’t usually get empty threats.’

‘Do we usually get threats at all?’

‘… No,’ Arlo admitted. ‘But this sounds like someone who’s thoroughly dissatisfied with this construction project. Can you think of anyone?’

Albert thought for a moment. ‘I don’t know why anyone would be against the project. It benefits all of Portia.’ He paused, raising his eyebrows as he seemed to realize something. ‘Although…’

Arlo crossed his arms over his chest. ‘Yes?’

‘We’ve been pressured by the Alliance government to finish the harbor ahead of the original schedule. It doesn’t really affect me or Gust, but…’ He looked around, then leaned in closer to Arlo to whisper, ‘Mint has expressed some dissatisfaction with the ordeal.’

‘I see. Is he here right now?’

Albert nodded in the direction of the closest wooden pier. When Arlo leaned a little to the left, he could see two people talking to each other over there.

‘I’ll have a talk with him,’ he said, ‘see if I catch any red flags.’

‘Thank you,’ Albert said with a relieved sigh.

Arlo left the vandalized building and started toward the figures on the pier. His work usually didn’t involve crime investigation, but it happened every now and again, and while he would prefer Portia to be crime free, it could be a fresh breeze to get to do something other than fight monsters, scope out ruins or search for more power stones. As long as it didn’t go beyond harmless vandalizing, some crime now and then didn’t hurt. It was part of a healthy society.

It wasn’t until he’d taken his first step out on the pier, the wood creaking under his weight, that he realized whom Mint was talking to. He stopped abruptly, but it was already too late: the two people turned around and spotted him. Mint didn’t look surprised, but Olivia’s eyes widened as she took in the sight of Arlo. For a second, her gaze lingered on his t-shirt, and he had to strain all the muscles he could think of to keep himself from glancing down to see what she was looking at. Did he have a spot of dirt somewhere? Was his t-shirt too small or too big or too literally anything else?

Her hair was loose and flowed slightly in the wind; while she stared at him, she absent-mindedly reached up with one hand to brush it behind her ear. Unlike him, she was wearing shorts, coupled with a tight tank top that hugged her body in just the right way. Arlo swallowed. Before his frozen position would get too awkward, he started moving again, his boots stomping down along the pier with as much confidence as he could muster. _Fake it, fake it, fake it._

‘Good afternoon,’ he said, nodding first to Olivia, then to Mint. ‘Everything alright here?’

‘We’re fine, thank you,’ Mint replied, and the protective way in which he stepped in front of Olivia made Arlo wonder if she’d told him about them.

‘Good, good.’ Arlo made a jab with his thumb toward the shore. ‘Mint, do you have a moment?’

Mint nodded, his eyebrows pulling upward in confusion. He turned to Olivia. ‘Four by four will be fine,’ he said. ‘We don’t have time to second-guess.’

She nodded before throwing a quick glance in Arlo’s direction. He chose that moment to turn around and walk back to shore, hoping Mint would follow. If he knew about their history, it would make it more difficult for Arlo to maintain his authority. This was one of the reasons he had wanted their relationship to stay a secret, but it was even worse now, because he had no idea what Mint did and didn’t know. How much had Olivia told him?

Taking a deep breath, he turned to face Mint, who had stopped a few feet away from him. Over his shoulder, Arlo could see Olivia bend down to hammer another board in at the end of the pier.

‘Am I in trouble?’ Mint asked.

Arlo paused. ‘Now why would you think that?’

The engineer shrugged. ‘I haven’t been sought out by you before. I’m guessing you’re not just interested in how the harbor project is coming along, or you would have just asked Albert.’

So he already had a hunch something was up. That would complicate things. ‘Albert was busy,’ Arlo lied. ‘He told me I could ask you, since you’re more familiar with the details of the project.’

‘Oh,’ Mint said, relaxing a little. ‘Actually, we’re ahead. Having Olivia’s help has really made wonders. She’s incredibly fast and reliable.’

 _As if I didn’t know_. Was this guy—an engineer from Vega 5 who had only been in Portia for a short while—going to tell him everything he already knew about Olivia? Was he going to pretend like Arlo didn’t know her better than anyone else in Portia?

 _Stop it_ , he thought, annoyed with himself. _You’re getting bitter. Stay on track._

‘That’s good,’ he replied calmly. ‘Any setbacks?’

‘None.’

Arlo tilted his head to the side. No setbacks, huh? Either Mint didn’t know about the message on the wall, or he was trying to pretend like it never happened.

‘I saw what looked like a threat on one of the buildings,’ Arlo said.

Mint’s demeanor changed drastically. He glanced away and rubbed the back of his neck. ‘Oh. That. Yeah, I guess there are people who don’t want this harbor to be built, for some reason.’

‘Do you know who could have done it?’

He still wasn’t looking up at him. ‘I don’t know. I’ve only been here a few months, so I’m not very familiar with the people here.’

‘Hm.’

Arlo studied the other man for a moment. He was clearly nervous about something, but he didn’t seem to have a motive for wanting to ruin his own—and Olivia’s—work. That didn’t mean he wasn’t hiding anything, though. Arlo hesitated. Could it be…?

‘What about Olivia?’ he asked.

Mint’s eyes widened. ‘What about her?’

‘Do you think she could’ve done it?’

‘What? No! Liv has worked harder than anyone else on this project. I’ve been telling her it’s not healthy, but she doesn’t want to stop. I guess I have you to thank for that, don’t I?’

As soon as he’d finished his last sentence, he seemed to remember himself, his whole body tensing in panic.

‘I-I mean—’

‘Tell her I’m ordering her to take it easy.’

And with those words, Arlo spun on his heel and strode off, gritting his teeth against the tears that burned behind his eyes. At least he knew for a fact now that Olivia had told Mint about her and Arlo. Did that mean she was over him? Or did it mean… that she was getting closer to Mint?

He didn’t even want to consider that alternative. 

As he walked back to Spacer, he made a spontaneous decision about his future. From now on, he would spend all the time he could spare on training for the entrance exam to get into the Flying Pigs—because if Olivia and Mint were developing some kind of relationship, he had to get out of Portia by the end of Autumn, at any cost.


	12. Harder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Arlo faces old memories and Olivia makes a vow.

Arlo watched begrudgingly as the front rotor blades of the Flying Pigs plane slowed their pace and came to a stop. He and Sam stood on a safe distance from the plane, waiting to welcome the inspector “with open arms”, as Gale had put it. Sam had volunteered to come with him, saying that she could help lighten up the mood when Arlo would “unintentionally and inevitably give the inspector the evil eye”. He’d given her a look that said to watch it, but he was secretly grateful. He didn’t doubt his own ability to play nice with whomever stepped out of that plane, but having some backup never hurt—especially not when said backup was someone as delightfully positive as Sam.

‘That is an awesome plane,’ she said now. Arlo glanced at her to see her lips stretched out into a wide grin. ‘Do all members of the Flying Pigs get one?’

‘It belongs to the guild,’ Arlo replied, his eyebrows lowering as he thought about the meaning of its presence here in Portia. ‘Must mean they’re sending a guild member.’

And that meant there was a real possibility that he would recognize whomever it was from all the times he’d gone to Lucien to take their entrance exam. In fact, the probability that it would be one person in particular—one he knew intimately—was very, very high.

‘Why would they do that?’ Sam asked.

‘The Flying Pigs guild has some of the most skilled and competent people in the whole Alliance. Makes sense to make use of them, yeah?’

The plane’s engine had turned off completely and the rotor blades were still. The door on the pilot’s side opened and revealed a tuft of black hair with a streak of violet that shimmered into a green-ish tint as it moved under the sunlight. Arlo’s stomach lurched. So it _was_ her.

The inspector jumped down to the ground, ran a hand through her hair and tightened the knot of the sweater tied around her waist. She started toward Arlo and Sam, smiling and waving when she caught sight of him. He waved back.

‘Arlo!’ she called out when she had almost reached them. ‘How nice to be greeted by a familiar face.’

‘Nice to see you too, Mali,’ he said, inclining his head in greeting. ‘This is Sam, one of our local officers.’

Mali turned to Sam, her smile growing into a grin. She offered her hand and Sam took it. ‘Hi there! A pleasure to meet you.’

‘The pleasure is mine,’ Sam said, giving Arlo a not-so-covert glance. He could read the surprise in her eyes: _do you know this woman?_ He pretended not to notice. Mali, on the other hand, dug right in.

‘Arlo and I know each other from the exam,’ she explained with a wink. ‘We’ve had plenty of time to get to know each other over the years. Isn’t that right, Captain?’

‘That’s right. Mali’s one of the best in the guild. Every year in the days before the exam, she’s helped me fine-tune my skills.’

‘It’s never quite enough, though, is it?’ She laughed heartily.

Arlo smiled, but Sam just raised her eyebrows.

‘So,’ Mali said, reverting into a more serious demeanor, ‘I heard you’re experiencing some anomalies in the ruins around here. Maybe you could give me a recap over some breakfast? I flew here on an empty stomach.’

‘Of course.’ Arlo gestured to the Southern gate. ‘We have a restaurant not far from here. Sam, you’ll come along, yeah?’

‘Sure,’ Sam said. ‘I’m always up for some of Django’s breakfast pancakes.’

Mali nodded appreciatively. ‘Sounds good. Lead the way, will you, Sam?’

* * *

 

Olivia slipped quietly into the small crowd in Peach plaza, searching for the one person she didn’t want to see. Her gaze stuck to a red-haired man in the front, and her heart lurched—but she quickly realized it was just Tody. Another scan of the crowd gave neither false nor true alerts, and so she slowly started to relax. For whatever reason, Arlo wasn’t there.

As soon as she’d read the note in her mail box asking her to come to the fireside meeting that evening, she’d started dreading the event. She’d managed to successfully avoid Arlo for weeks now—well, except their little run-in at the harbor—but a public gathering in the plaza was sure to include the Captain of the Civil Corps in some way or another. Still, she didn’t want to miss the announcement Gale was supposed to make tonight. She never missed a fireside meeting, and she wouldn’t start missing them now just because of Arlo.

… _But_ it was a relief that he hadn’t showed.

She was supposed to go with Mint, but he’d fallen asleep in the cozy little corner he’d made for her out of a couple of pillows and blankets, and she didn’t have the heart to wake him up just so he could accompany her to an event he didn’t care much about anyway. He was just here in Portia on engineering business, so he wasn’t too interested in what was going on outside of that.

‘Long time no see!’

Olivia jumped as Sam sidled up to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder in greeting.

‘Oh, hi,’ Olivia croaked out, then cleared her throat. ‘Sorry, I’ve been busy helping out down at the harbor.’

‘It’s fine,’ Sam said with a wink as she released her again. ‘I know you’ve got work to do. But I’m glad to see your face again, if only for a little while.’

Olivia smiled, feeling how a pleasant warmth spread inside her. ‘Me too.’ She glanced toward the staircase in front of the Commerce guild, where Gale had just appeared from the doorway. ‘Do you know what this announcement is about?’

‘Oh, yes,’ Sam sighed. ‘I sure know.’ When Olivia gave her a puzzled look, she added, ‘You’ll see.’

Olivia frowned, turning back to the staircase just as the door opened and two other people exited the building: a somewhat older woman with a purple-green streak in her black hair, and…

‘Arlo,’ she breathed, staring.

Sam gave her a sideways glance, but didn’t ask. And that was a good thing, because Olivia wasn’t sure she’d be able to construct a meaningful sentence in response. She watched Arlo take his place beside the unfamiliar woman, smiling and laughing quietly at something she had just said. She was fairly sure Arlo hadn’t made any actual changes to his appearance lately, but somehow, he still managed to make her heart race with how stunning he was. He wore all the usual straps on his body but with no weapons, not even a sword, fastened to them. His jacket was zipped open, revealing a dark blue t-shirt that hinted at the muscles underneath the fabric as he moved. The messy red hair looked like it was getting a tad too long and like he had tried to get it out of his face by smoothing it back, but some of it still dropped back down to hang over his eyes. And the way that his smile softened the rest of his usually stern expression… God, she missed him so much. She wished she could have smelled his scent from where she stood.

‘Good evening, everyone,’ Gale announced, and the rest of the talking in the crowd immediately died out. ‘I’m glad you could all join us here tonight. I have someone very special here I’d like to introduce.’ He turned to the woman beside him. ‘This here is Mali of the Flying Pigs. She’s been sent by the Alliance government to inspect the ruins around here and make sure everything is running smoothly.’

‘Is there a reason to worry?’ a voice asked from the crowd. Olivia couldn’t discern who it was.

‘We have everything under control,’ Arlo said from his position beside the inspector. ‘This inspection is just a safety precaution—’

‘Let me, Arlo,’ the inspector interjected, holding up a hand to silence him.

Olivia frowned. She’d never seen anyone interrupt Arlo like that before, but he didn’t seem to consider it strange, so she tried to ignore it as well.

‘First, hello to everyone, I’m Mali. I want to point out that there is no evidence of any dangerous new relics or other Old World remnants in the ruins around Portia. I’m here as a representative of the Alliance government to check out some minor anomalies, but it’s just to be extra safe. No reason to worry.’

She smiled and placed a hand on Arlo’s shoulder. Olivia noticed the two of them were almost the same height. _Wow, she’s tall._

‘Your Civil Corps team have done a bang-up job of keeping you all safe. They will assist me in my inspections and help me investigate any ruins that haven’t yet been explored. We’ll especially be on the look-out for rogue AI’s.’ She let her hand fall back to her side. ‘That’s all from me. Any questions?’

Another voice spoke up from the crowd, and this time, Olivia could identify it as one of the city’s researchers. ‘If you find any AI machines, what are you going to do with them?’

‘Anything the inspector finds will be documented in detail and kept out of the city until we’ve fully established its purpose and function,’ Arlo replied. ‘Together with the Mayor, we’ll then decide what actions to take from there.’

‘If it’s too dangerous for the people here, we’ll have to destroy it,’ Mali added.

‘Inspector Mali’s work will begin immediately,’ Gale said, ‘so worry not, citizens, let the professionals do their work. That’s all for today. Good night everyone!’

The people in the crowd immediately started talking amongst themselves. Olivia watched as the inspector turned to say something to Arlo, and he listened intently and nodded as she spoke. After exchanging a few words, they walked down the steps together and headed toward the slope leading up to the Civil Corps’ HQ.

Olivia quickly looked around. Sam was nowhere to be seen. Damn it, she wanted to ask her for more details. She got the feeling Gale and Arlo had held back in what information they chose to share with the Portians; what if this was a bigger deal than they made it seem like?

Forcing down her anxiety over seeing Arlo again, she ran after him and the inspector, catching up to them as they reached the archway beside one of the city’s abandoned ruins.

‘Arlo!’

At the sound of her voice, he froze and turned around, looking like someone had just kicked a ball into his stomach. Mali stopped too, tilting her head in curiosity as Olivia ran up to the two of them.

‘I’m sorry,’ Olivia panted, taking a quick look around to make sure no one else could be listening. ‘I just have to ask. Is this really just about some minor anomalies, or is it something bigger?’

Slowly, Arlo’s shoulder lowered, together with his eyebrows. ‘It’s nothing you have to involve yourself in, Olivia.’

She scowled. ‘Maybe I don’t _have_ to, I just want to know. Has something happened in a ruin lately?’

Arlo pressed his lips into a thin line, seemingly considering how much to share with her. But just as he parted his lips to reply, Mali broke in, stopping him with a hand against his chest.

‘You’re one of the Builders in Portia, aren’t you?’ she asked Olivia with a pleasant smile. ‘I read a file on this town before I came.’

Olivia blinked at her. ‘Um. Yes. Yes, I am. My name is Olivia.’

‘A pleasure to meet you, Olivia. Listen, there really is nothing to worry about. The second you or anyone else in Portia needs to know more details, you’ll get the information you need.’ She paused, considering Olivia for a moment. ‘Speaking of, I’ll actually need a Builder’s help. An old exploration map of the area shows that there are some ruins up on the Western Plateau, but we have no way of reaching it as it stands now. I was told you helped build the lift over by the waterfall, is that true?’

‘Yes,’ Olivia said, cautious of Mali’s intentions.

‘Perfect. I need you to build me a lift like that for the Western Plateau. Can you do that?’

‘Olivia is already occupied,’ Arlo interjected in a voice so cold that it made Olivia shiver. ‘She’s helping one of our engineers finish up the harbor.’

‘Is that so?’ Mali asked, studying Olivia a little closer.

‘We’re almost finished,’ Olivia said, trying to ignore the stern look from Arlo. ‘I’d be glad to help you build a lift, but it’ll have to wait until next week.’

‘It’ll have to do. We’ll save that ruin for last.’

‘I’ll get to it as soon as I’ve finished up the last bits down at the harbor,’ Olivia promised.

Mali beamed. ‘See, Arlo? This is why I like Portia. Everyone’s so helpful.’

‘Olivia especially so,’ Arlo replied, and judging by the way he said it, she wasn’t sure he meant it in a positive way. What was his deal? Why couldn’t he even be civil with her now?

‘Arlo, Sam and I will head out to the first ruins early tomorrow morning,’ Mali went on to tell Olivia. ‘Depending on how far out that is, we might not return in a few days. But one of us will come check on your progress when there’s time.’

Olivia nodded. She turned to Arlo. ‘Please be careful.’

His expression softened a little. ‘I’m always careful.’

Well, that wasn’t actually true; he could be reckless when he had to be to help someone else, but this wasn’t the time to argue.

‘Come along then,’ Mali told Arlo. ‘I think we can squeeze in some training before it’s time to tuck in.’

‘Training?’ Olivia asked.

‘Mali’s helping me train for the entrance exam,’ Arlo explained. He turned to Mali with a hint of awe in his gaze. ‘She’s one of the very best.’

Mali smiled. ‘Oh, you flatter me. I’m just happy to help.’

She started walking again. Arlo glanced after her, then gave Olivia one last look. ‘Keep an eye out for trouble while I’m away, yeah?’ He moved his hand as if to touch her shoulder, then hesitated and let it fall back against his side again. ‘And… stay safe.’

He turned to leave.

‘Wait,’ Olivia pleaded.

It was just a whisper—a mere breath of a wish—but Arlo paused, as if his hearing was fine-tuned to her voice, and after a second’s hesitation, he looked at her over his shoulder. He wore his impassive expression, cold and professional, but Olivia chose to think that it was just a façade.

‘Arlo,’ she whispered. ‘Are we…’

He waited, blinking patiently at her when she didn’t finish her sentence. ‘Are we what?’

She wasn’t sure which word she was looking for, just that she needed to know what was going on between them. She needed to know that he still had feelings for her. It was selfish, she knew that, but she couldn’t bear the thought that he would have already gotten over her.

But there was no way she could ask that, was there? It would only make things worse for both of them. They were supposed to let go. _She_ was supposed to let go.

‘… Are we… still friends?’

Arlo’s eyebrows lowered. He turned to face her with his whole body and swallowed, clearly uncomfortable about her question, but he didn’t look away. He didn’t try to escape it.

‘No,’ he said, his voice low and unsteady. ‘We’re not friends, Olivia.’

He could just as well have torn her heart out with his own hand; just shoved it into her chest, pierced her skin, dug through her muscles, grabbed the organ and torn it out of her without even flinching. That’s how much his answer hurt.

She gasped for breath, her head spinning. ‘What?’

Arlo looked pained. ‘You know how I feel about you,’ he said quietly, watching her try to regain herself in vain. ‘But we broke it off. And trying to be friends would just… hurt.’ His brows lowered. ‘You understand that, right?’

If she hadn’t been so shaken by all of this, she might have jeered. How could he stand there so casually, telling her that she should know better, when she was clearly trying her best not to fall apart in front of him?

‘I don’t want this,’ she wheezed, holding her stomach. She gave him a pleading look. ‘I can’t stand it.’

Arlo visibly tensed, lifting his chin in caution. ‘Olivia,’ he warned.

‘Can’t we try to make it work?’ she asked feebly. ‘I know I said it would be for the best to break it off completely, but I… I miss you, Arlo.’

The last part came out in a whisper. She didn’t know if anyone was close enough to hear them, but their secret was so deeply locked inside her heart that she couldn’t make herself speak in anything louder than a whisper.

He made a frustrated sound deep in his throat and shook his head. ‘You don’t want a half-arsed relationship, Olivia. I know you don’t.’

She clenched her hands into fists. ‘Why would you know what I want better than I do?’

‘You know it too,’ he argued. ‘You’re just too emotional to see things clearly right now.’

She paused, scowling. She didn’t want to admit that he was right. Maybe she didn’t want something “half-arsed”, but… was the alternative really better?

She reached for him, her heart breaking when he jerked away from her.

‘Stop,’ he told her, and the way that he said it made her think of an officer restraining a lowly criminal. ‘You’re making this harder than it has to be.’

‘It’s already hard,’ she hissed out between clenched teeth.

Arlo looked back over his shoulder. Mali seemed to have gone back to the HQ already, too impatient to wait for the Corps Captain and his unruly citizen. Olivia watched him swallow; it inevitably drew her gaze to his neck, further feeding her longing for being near him again.

He turned back to look at her with a gaze so intense her breath caught in her throat. Before she could register his movement, he had taken a step closer and snaked his fingers around to the back of her neck, intertwining them with her hair. His other hand grabbed her wrist as he lowered his head to almost, just painfully nearly, touch his lips against hers. Olivia felt all blood drain from her head in an instant as she stared into his eyes in shock, her body locked in place in his grip.

‘You have no idea how much I want you,’ he murmured, his voice almost a half-growl. ‘I want to lock us inside your workshop and throw away the key. I want to touch you, I want to kiss you, I want to get to know you… your mind _and_ your body.’ His grip around her wrist tightened. ‘I want to love you.’

Olivia whimpered. ‘Please…’

With a feather-light touch, his lips grazed hers. ‘But I can’t,’ he whispered.

To her dismay, he pulled back, releasing both her neck and her wrist as he straightened, returning to his god damn impassive look of complete control.

‘It wouldn’t be right,’ he completed.

‘Arlo,’ she pleaded.

He shook his head, already backing away from her again. ‘If you knew just how much I wanted to give the finger to everything else and whisk you away somewhere, you wouldn’t be tempting me like this.’ He gave her a look full of regret. ‘I don’t _want_ to choose between you and the Flying Pigs. But I have to.’

Just like that, her body went cold. She drew for air. ‘I… That’s not what I… You know I want you to get in—’

‘If that’s the case,’ he said, ‘please stop making this so hard… for both of us.’

After giving her one last pained look, he turned on his heel and started up the path. Olivia stared after him in silence, shaken and cold to her very core.

She shouldn’t have told him how miserable she was. She shouldn’t have let her mask slip. How could she have been so utterly, completely unfair to him? She _did_ want him to become a Flying Pigs member! But what would he think of her now? Would he think she didn’t care about his dreams and aspirations?

After standing there for what felt like an eternity, freezing like hell—even though it was a mild summer night—she turned and made her way back to Peach plaza, her movements painfully slow, as if she was moving through a marsh.

Somehow, she had to show Arlo that she was on his side. Even if they could never be friends again— _fuck, don’t think about that, don’t think about it—_ she could at least be supportive of his life’s biggest dream. 

Yes, that was it. She would be the greatest, most supportive almost-ex-girlfriend the world had ever seen.

Arlo _would_ get into the Flying Pigs. Even if it was the last thing she ever accomplished, she would help him get into that damn adventurer’s guild.

* * *

 

Arlo shut the door to the HQ, leaning back against it with a deep sigh. He closed his eyes in an attempt to escape reality.

Olivia… why did she have to go and change her mind…? He had been so close to giving in, too… but he _knew_ that what he could give her wasn’t really what she wanted. She’d told him so herself during their last night together. She would just be heart-broken when he left… _if_ he even left.

That was the one thing that kept making him reconsider it all, time and time again. Who was to say he would get into the guild this year? Maybe they could have another year, or several years, together? Maybe an entire life?

‘Took you long enough!’

Reluctantly, Arlo opened his eyes. Mali stood in the middle of the room, a sword hanging casually from her hand. She had removed the sweater tied around her waist and changed into a pair of shorts.

‘It’s so darn hot in this town,’ she explained with a smile when she saw him look at her.

‘Tell me about it,’ he sighed, shrugging off his jacket and dropping it on his desk.

‘That Builder a problem for you?’

His gaze snapped to meet hers. ‘Olivia? No,’ he replied, suddenly worried that she’d seen something she shouldn’t have. ‘She had some questions about the lift, but you’d already left, so I answered them to my best ability.’

‘I’m sure you did.’ Mali grabbed another sword and held it out for him, handle first. ‘Up for a challenge?’

He eyed it, considering. He didn’t exactly feel like sparring now, what with having rejected someone he could have very plausibly lived a long, happy life with, but Mali was Mali. He might not get into the Flying Pigs this year, but rejecting a chance to train with Mali would just be stupid. She was the best fighter he knew of, and her willingness to help him was not something to take for granted.

Pushing his emotional turmoil temporarily to the side, Arlo grabbed the sword and got into a fighting stance. ‘Always.’

Mali smirked, studying his position before getting into one of her own. ‘Give me everything you’ve got,’ she drawled, ‘ _Captain_.’


	13. Sparks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Since it's been two months since I last posted, here's a recap of some important plot points so far in this fic:
> 
> Arlo and Olivia both want each other, but when their not-so-serious relationship turned serious in a heartbeat, they agreed they couldn't keep seeing each other, since Arlo's ultimate goal in life is to leave Portia. 
> 
> Olivia has distracted herself by helping Mint construct the Portia harbor. Someone has been threatening to burn the harbor down, though, and Arlo has his suspicions of who it could be...
> 
> Mali arrived to inspect the ruins after the Civil Corps informed the Alliance government of an increase in rogue AI's. Sam is skeptical of the inspector, but she plays an important role in Arlo's life--and his future. The three of them are going to inspect all the ruins around Portia together, so they'll have to find a way to get along.
> 
> Olivia reached out a hand to Arlo, but he shut her down, reminding her that staying apart is what's best for them both.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I'm not dead! ^_^ My only defense for taking two months to post this chapter is that I've been working passionately (read: day and night) on another MTAP fic together with a good friend, and that one's almost completely done now, so... there's that. (It will be posted as a collaborative work as soon as all the remaining scenes have been written, a beta reader has approved it, and we've gone through everything to polish it until it's nice and shiny.)
> 
> But I would never abandon Distractions, especially not after all the kind words you've given me along the way. <3

Arlo jerked back his hand, cursing and shaking it out as the broken door mechanism sent a sharp jolt of electricity through his fingers. His eyebrows pulled together, his gaze darting across the device’s insides as he tried to figure out what the hell was even wrong with the thing. He thought he’d followed the wires meticulously from beginning to end, thought he’d combined the right colors with each other, but there was just no making sense of this damn mess of busted electronics. The wires just didn’t make sense; at least one seemed to be missing, because one half was hanging loose at the bottom.

‘A Builder would have come in handy here, eh?’

Arlo sighed, resting one arm over his thigh as he ran his other hand through his hair. ‘Do you want to give this a try, Sam?’

When there was no answer, he looked back up over his neck at Sam and Mali. His fellow Corps officer had a predictably innocent facial expression on as she shrugged.

‘It was just a suggestion, Boss.’

Arlo allowed himself a glance at Mali, too, who looked past him, pursing her lips as she studied the door mechanism in front of him. 

‘Have you connected the wires correctly?’

‘I… think so.’

Given that he couldn’t find the last wire, he assumed he’d connected those that did exist in a somewhat correct manner.

‘Have you or have you not?’

He clenched his jaw, forcing himself to look her straight in the eyes as he answered, ‘I have.’

Mali knelt down beside him, leaning in to study the mess of wires. While she was busy checking his work, he glanced at Sam again, who had crossed her arms over her chest. She let out an inaudible sigh meant just for him, and he didn’t know what kind of response she expected from him, but he just scowled. Mali might be… direct, but she always got the job done. And she was their superior, so whatever Sam was feeling about the inspector, she’d have to push it down.

‘You’ve connected one of the hot wires to a ground wire,’ Mali commented, drawing his attention back to the door mechanism as she nimbly reached inside and separated two wires that he remembered having connected just then. She pulled out another black-cased wire from an area he hadn’t even been able to see from his angle, connected it with the other black one, then twirled the remaining casing-free wire together with the one he’d left hanging loose, not knowing what to do with it. Pulling back, she flicked the lid closed, stood up and walked up to the door. It opened smoothly and safely in front of her.

Arlo felt something sink in his stomach as he watched her turn to him with an unimpressed frown.

‘I thought a basic knowledge of electronics was mandatory for all Civil Corps Captains?’

He opened his mouth to answer, but Sam beat him to it.

‘We have a really competent Builder who tags along when we need her,’ she said. ‘It’s allowed Arlo to focus on honing other skills.’

Arlo threw her a sharp look, but it just seemed to bounce right off as she raised her chin in defiance. _God damn it Sam, I don’t need your protection._ He needed to have a chat with her in private later.

‘Do you always rely on others to do your job for you, Captain?’ Mali asked, voice and face serious. 

‘It’s true that I did learn basic electronics,’ he hurried to admit before Sam could embarrass him any more. ‘I should have been able to fix this. There’s really no excuse for my incompetence.’

‘You missed _one_ wire,’ Sam muttered beside him.

Oh for the love of...

‘Sam!’ he barked as he spun to face her, causing her to jump and widen her eyes. ‘Is this your idea of being professional? Do I really have to order you to shut up and do your job?’

She stared at him, and he wasn’t sure he’d ever seen her look so stunned before, but god fucking damn it, she had crossed a line she shouldn’t have, and he hoped that she could see how disappointed he felt; how embarrassed he was of her disrespect toward Mali. This was an important person in his life, maybe even _the_ most important person, at least for his future in the Flying Pigs, and Sam--who was not only his teammate, but also his friend--seemed to go out of her way to be rude and unprofessional in her presence.

‘No, Boss,’ she said quietly, swallowing as he scowled at her. ‘You don’t.’

The door slid closed with a soft _whoosh_ , then open again as Mali stepped through. ‘Let’s move on,’ she said. ‘We don’t have all day.’

Arlo glanced in her direction, then glared back down at Sam, who mouthed a silent _sorry_ to him. He gritted his teeth, shaking his head as he turned away to follow Mali. He knew Sam didn’t mean any harm; she just cared about him deeply and could get stupidly defensive because of it. It didn’t excuse what she’d just done, but at least he knew it came from a good place. 

Busy mulling over the whole deal with Sam, Arlo stepped distractedly into the other room.

‘Look out!’ 

His muscles tensed automatically at Sam’s exclamation, eyes widening as his gaze locked on to a Patrolcraft flying straight toward him. He ducked as it swooped down for his head, then dodged the spray of foam it attacked with just in time, unsheathing his sword even as his eyes darted across the room to scout the area. There were two more Patrolcrafts further away, but Mali was already taking care of them, expertly dodging between their sprays as she swung her war hammer around, bashing one of them into the other and sending them flying into the wall behind her. He didn’t have time to admire her fast hammer work though, because the first drone was coming towards him again, and he once again dodged out of the way, coming up behind it and spinning on his heel to slash sideways with his sword, hitting it right in the joint between its body and one if its propulsion units. As the separated part clanged to the floor, the Patrolcraft wobbled to the side, trying to stay afloat but failing miserably as it slammed into the wall. He saw its front start to glow, and rolled to the side as the foam hit where he’d just stood. As he was about to raise his sword again, Sam came in from the side and punched the robot straight in its backside with her boxing glove on, sending it spiralling into the wall once again, and as it hit, the lights on its body went out and it dropped to the floor with a loud clang.

He exchanged a quick look with Sam, nodding in thanks before spinning to see how Mali was handling the situation. While he and Sam had killed off the one drone, Mali had taken down four, but now Watchmen and Sentidogs had streamed out of the doorway in the back of the room, and he could see she was starting to struggle when three of them attacked at the same time, backing her into the corner. Not good. The joints of those things were too thick to cut through with a sword; he’d need something more blunt to bash them down.

He didn’t have any weapons like that--all he had was his sword and a Red Hawk. But Sam definitely did.

‘Sam,’ he called over his shoulder as he sheathed his sword and made for the robots. ‘Gonna need you to be my finisher in two secs!’

‘Yes sir!’

He couldn’t see her behind him, but he would trust her blindly, could trust her with his life, and so he didn’t even hesitate before picking up his speed as he closed in on the robots in the corner. He caught Mali’s gaze and jerked his head to the left, hoping she would get it, right before he jumped to shift his weight, sliding his legs and feet forward right as he came up on the nearest Sentidog. The soles of his shoes slammed into its metallic legs, and it was knocked over, stumpy feet trying to get back up like a desperate cockroach. As Arlo stumbled up on his own feet, ducking an energy blast from a nearby Watchman, Sam came in from his right, kicking the spikes at the toes of her shoe into the glass screen in the Sentidog’s face before coming back down with her hardened heel down on its head. Sparks erupted from the screen, and it jerked twice more before stilling, its lights going out.

Arlo dodged another blast, then kicked his leg out toward the knee of the Watchman, making it stumble forward for a precious second before Mali slammed her war hammer into its other leg, so hard the joint tore apart and the machine collapsed. It fell on its side and tried to shoot at Sam, who skipped over the energy attack easily on her way to kick the second Sentidog in the face.

Two Watchmen were left. Arlo’s gaze darted to the front of the long, metallic cannon in the face of one of the robots, and before his brain had really even finished forming its idea, he felt his hand reach for the hilt of his sword. It almost seemed like the robot noticed that he was coming for it, because it stepped forward and turned its attention to him. He ran forward, raising his sword and thrusting it into the mouth of the cannon, feeling with a tinge of satisfaction how it cut and dug into the wiring and machinery deep inside. The Watchman jerked, coming to a halt as he twisted the sword around with a flick of his wrist. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mali and Sam handle the last Watchman, beating it down with hammer and boxing gloves, and it collapsed in a heap of electronics at the same time as he jerked out his sword of the cannon, leading the robot to wobble and fall sideways to the floor with a loud clang.

He took a last look around the room, relaxing his muscles slightly when he didn’t see any robots still active. Sheathing his sword, he turned to Sam and Mali, letting his trained gaze run over them quickly in turn to determine whether they were hurt. Sam was unharmed, but the fabric in Mali’s left sleeve was torn open, flashing an angry red wound on her upper arm. It wasn’t bleeding though; didn’t seem deep. And apart from that wound, she only had some scratches on one cheek. 

‘One of the darn dogs caught my arm,’ she said when she followed his gaze. 

He raised his head to look her in the eyes. ‘Can you use it?’

Mali nodded firmly. ‘Good enough. It’s not my dominant arm, so I’ll be fine.’ She paused, tilting her head to the side as she studied his face. ‘You handled that well, Captain.’

It was stupid, real stupid, but he couldn’t help but straighten a bit at her words, and maybe even puff out his chest a little. ‘Thanks.’

To his right, Sam let out a scoff, and he glanced at her just in time to see her roll her eyes. Damn her, would she ever accept anything Mali said?

‘Now, I think I saw another broken electronics box in the next room,’ Mali said, already on her way through the doorway. ‘Let’s see if you can match the right colors this time, shall we?’

* * *

 

Olivia cursed below her breath as she marched up the path from Peach Plaza, looking around in search of a familiar tuft of black hair. He hadn’t been in his apartment, neither had she found him outside the museum or under the apple tree he loved to nap under, so if he wasn’t outside the café, he must have gone to the harbor before her--and that didn’t seem like something he would do. Sure, he could be aloof and easily distracted, but they’d walked to work together every day for the past week, so for him to suddenly forget all about her and go there by himself seemed… unlikely.

‘Good morning, Olivia. Shouldn’t you be on your way to the harbor by now?’

She looked over her shoulder to see Arrow slowly trotting up behind her, carrying Remy on his back. She gave a hurried smile.

‘Morning, Remy. Yeah, I should, but I can’t find Mint anywhere. Have you seen him?’

The officer frowned down at her for a moment before raising his gaze to scan the area. ‘That seems to be him talking to Ginger over there.’

Olivia raised her eyebrows, following his gaze to the café, where she could make out the intense red of Ginger’s curly hair in one of the chairs. She couldn’t see Mint, but it wouldn’t exactly surprise her to find him slumped over by the table.

‘Thanks, I’ll check that out,’ she said as she started walking again.

‘Have a good day,’ Remy called behind her, and then she could hear Arrow’s hooves clap against the stones in the path.

As she walked closer to the café, coming up toward the steps, she saw that it was indeed Mint who was sitting across from Ginger. He wasn’t sleeping, though he seemed not far from it, eyes blinking slowly as he listened to what the mayor’s daughter was saying.

‘Gust won’t let me borrow his books,’ the young woman said in her characteristically soft voice. ‘I think he’s worried that I will get my hopes up and try to do something dangerous. But I just want to know. I just want to read about it. Even if I’ll never be able to study in Atara, like he did, or accomplish the things he does, maybe I can learn enough to understand it a little better, at least?’

‘What books are you interested in? Maybe I can get one for you.’

‘Really? Oh, that’s so kind of you! Let’s see… There’s this book called Structural Aesthetics; it sounds really complicated, but it’s one of Gust’s favorites, so it must be interesting.’

Olivia paused, not wanting to disturb their conversation. It always seemed like Ginger managed to get people engaged in deep conversations with her, regardless of who it was. She’d always been a bit jealous at her for that remarkable social competence.

‘Oh, I know that one,’ Mint said, straightening in his seat. ‘I’ve seen it in the store. I’ll ask Gust if I can borrow it for a while.’

‘That would be so, so great, Mint. Thank you.’ Ginger brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she looked down at her other hand in her lap. ‘I’m so glad Dad brought you here. I really like talking to you.’

Mint tilted his head to the side and smiled. ‘I’m glad, too. I was a little nervous coming to Portia, but everyone is so kind and open-minded here.’

Ginger giggled softly. ‘Yes, it’s a sweet little town. Sometimes I just wish I could see what it’s like in other places.’

‘Maybe you will, someday? Oh--hey, Olivia!’

She froze, feeling like she’d been caught snooping on the two of them, which she supposed she had, only she hadn’t really intended to.

‘Hi,’ she said, walking up the last couple of steps and up to the table. Ginger looked up at her with a curious smile.

‘Good morning, Olivia.’

‘Good morning, Ginger,’ she replied, then inclined her head to Mint. ‘Sorry to disturb you, but we do still have work left to do in the harbor.’

Mint widened his eyes and jumped out of his chair, looking from Olivia to Ginger and then back again. ‘Oh! Shit! I’m sorry, I completely lost track of time!’

‘It’s fine,’ Olivia assured him with a small smile. ‘Happens to the best of us. Are you ready to leave now?’

‘Yeah! Unless…’ He turned to Ginger. ‘Will you be alright on your own?’

The red haired girl slowly spun her parasol in her hand. ‘I’ll be fine,’ she said. ‘Gust is in the shop, it’s just a short walk there. You go work.’

He nodded slowly, brows furrowing. ‘Okay. I’ll see you later, Ginger. Take care.’

‘Thank you. Have fun at work!’

She grinned happily at him, and he slowly started grinning back, and Olivia got a strange feeling, like she’d just walked into an intimate moment between two lovers. She turned and went ahead down to the path again, chewing nervously on the inside of her cheek as she waited for Mint to come after. If she had known that she would find him here with Ginger, she would have gone to the harbor without him. It felt like she’d just interrupted something precious and important.

‘Hey, sorry again,’ Mint said as he joined her a moment later. ‘I hope you didn’t spend time looking for me.’

She turned to him with a smile. ‘Oh, I thought you’d be here, so it was the first place I went.’ She paused as they started walking toward the gate, wondering how she should put this. ‘I’m sorry if I interrupted your conversation with Ginger. It seemed… nice.’

A smile tugged at the corner of his lip. ‘Yeah, Ginger is nice to talk to. But don’t worry, I talk to her almost every day, since Gale usually invites me for dinner. And you’re right, we still have work to do.’

Huh. She thought she had gotten to know Mint pretty well during their work in the harbor, but she had no idea he and Ginger were friends. It made sense, because like he said, Gale was like a father figure to him, but she just hadn’t made the connection that it would mean he interacted with Ginger--and maybe even Gust--every day. 

And Ginger really seemed to like him, maybe even as more than a friend. Olivia wondered if he realized that, or if he was as oblivious as she thought.

‘Ginger is really pretty too, isn’t she?’ she asked as casually as she could, glancing at Mint to see his reaction. His smile slowly faded, exchanged by a thoughtful frown.

‘I guess she is. She told me Albert has been trying to flirt with her, but Gust always shuts him down.’

Well, that would be a problem. Gust really was protective when it came to his little sister.

‘Are you worried he would do the same to you?’

At that, Mint turned his head to give her a strange look. ‘I don’t think Albert’s interested in me.’

Olivia blinked at him. Oh wow, he really was that oblivious, then? She had to bite down a laugh.

‘That’s... not what I meant. Are you worried Gust would get mad at you if you and Ginger started dating?’

He turned his face away again, but she could see a faint blush spread across his cheeks and neck. Had she hit jackpot?

‘Oh. Yeah, that’s not… That won’t be a problem.’

That was a strange way to answer her question. She studied him discreetly from the side. He had his gaze set straight ahead, lips set in a thin line. Her heart fell. Maybe she hadn’t hit jackpot, but a weak spot. 

‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry,’ she said. ‘We don’t have to talk about it.’

He looked a bit uncomfortable still, but to her surprise, he didn’t change the subject. ‘Ginger really is pretty, I know that, but it’s not really something I think about,’ he murmured. ‘I’ve just… never bothered with that stuff.’

She raised her eyebrows. ‘Stuff?’

‘Yeah,’ he said carefully. ‘I’ve never seen the point. It’s--’ He paused, freezing in place.

She stopped walking, turning to him with a frown. His gaze darted to her, then back forward again.

‘Is that… smoke?’

Olivia turned her head to follow his gaze. Smoke? She couldn’t see anything at all. Shielding her eyes with her left hand, she peered toward the horizon.

And froze.

It wasn’t clearly visible, and if Mint hadn’t pointed it out to her she might have missed it completely, but yes, there was a faint cloud of smoke rising up from the harbor. She quickly went through possible explanations in her mind. Mint had installed a chimney in one of the houses without her knowledge? No, there was no logical reason for that. Someone was having a barbecue? No, that wouldn’t create that kind of smoke. 

The only possible answer she could find was that something had caught on fire that really shouldn’t be burning.

‘The harbor’s on fire,’ she breathed, just barely catching the wide-eyed look Mint gave her before she spun around and ran back inside the city gate, slowing her steps for one second and looking around as she reached the fountain, hoping that she would see Remy and Arrow somewhere in the plaza, but no luck. He’d been going the other direction, up toward the ruins and the Corps HQ. She swore, then started running up the slope, gritting her teeth against the burn in her legs as she came closer to the crest of the hill. She was just a Builder, damn it; she was fit enough to hold her own in a fight, but running had never been her thing, and especially not uphill.

But then she saw a flash of green by the entrance to the ruins, and she stopped running, pressing a hand against her beating heart as she tried to catch her breath.

‘Re-Remy!’

The officer turned to her, one hand darting to the gun by his hip as he caught sight of her panting and coughing on the path. He spun around, running down the steps and up to her, face not quite showing worry but eyes slightly wider than usual as he scanned her face.

‘Olivia? What’s wrong?’

‘The--the harbor,’ she wheezed, ‘on f-fire.’

He stared at her. ‘On fire?’ He spun on his heel and ran up to Arrow, who was waiting back by the steps up to the ruins. ‘Come on, then!’

She followed him with stumbling steps, breathing out a thanks as he helped her up on Arrow’s back before hoisting himself up in front of her. She closed her eyes and held on to Remington as they galloped out of the town and toward the harbor, the wind grabbing hold of her hair and sending it storming around her head as she tightened her grip around him in hope that she wouldn’t suddenly fly off his horse. Only when he slowed the pace and she felt a distinct smell of smoke did she dare to open her eyes, and what she saw made her heart sink. She slid off Arrow’s back before they had come to a full stop, and walked like in a dream state toward the blackened outlines in front of the water.

What had used to be the travel center was now just the gaping remnants of a structure that could have been just about anything. All that was left standing were two and a half of the three main corner supports; everything else had crumbled completely, caving in over itself and burning up in what must have been a fast, all-consuming fire. Whoever did it must have used some kind of flammable liquid to speed up the process. It was highly unlikely that this wasn’t arson, considering that the building had basically been empty and not yet functional, and no other buildings had been so much as touched by the fire.

She saw Remy walk up beside her out of the corner of her eye.

‘Couldn’t be him,’ he muttered.

She tore her gaze away from the crime scene, frowning up at the officer. ‘What was that?’

He glanced at her, then heaved a deep sigh as he rubbed his neck. ‘Arlo had a hunch as to the identity of the perpetrator, but that hunch seems unlikely now.’

She looked away, swallowing down the lump that formed in her throat at the mention of Arlo’s name. It was so stupid how just hearing a single sentence with his name in it made her whole chest constrict.

‘How much will this set you back?’ Remington asked.

Oh, right… The Alliance government needed the harbor to be finished before the end of the week. Olivia groaned. ‘At least two weeks, maybe more.’

He nodded firmly. ‘I’ll inform the mayor. Do you want a ride back to town?’

She stared at the smoldering remains of the travel center. She and Mint had spent so much time planning, finding the materials for and constructing that building. They’d fought so hard to be able to get it all done in time, and now… two weeks of their time had been lost.

She didn’t so much mourn her own lost time as she did Mint’s. To her, working on the harbor had been a welcome distraction from everything that had been going on with Arlo, and she didn’t really have any other projects up and coming, but Mint was extraordinarily busy. He might have just come to Portia to help with the bridge to the Eufaula desert, but as soon as everyone had realized just how skilled he was, lots of new projects had popped up for Mint to participate in, and they were just becoming bigger and bigger. This fire meant he’d have to push all the upcoming projects to a later date. Even if it wasn’t Mint’s fault at all, she knew he would be stressed out over not being able to deliver on time.

‘Olivia?’

She jerked, turning her head to blink up at Remy, who had already mounted Arrow again. Right, he expected her to answer.

‘Oh, no thanks, I’ll have a look around and see if there’s anything I can salvage. If you see Mint, can you tell him not to bother coming here? We can’t work until all the rubble’s been cleared away. I’ll come find him later to draw up a new plan.’

He nodded. ‘Sure. Be safe, Olivia.’

‘You too,’ she murmured distractedly as she returned her attention to the lost building, hearing distantly how Remy spurred Arrow on, then the sound of hooves against the soft ground before she was left alone at the scene. She sighed. Well, at least the lighthouse was still standing; that had been the most time consuming part of this project. 

And at least no one had been hurt. It remained to be seen what the Alliance government had to say, but things could always be rebuilt... 

… Much unlike her relationship with Arlo.

She groaned, slapping her hand over her forehead. Bad Olivia, stop that. Focus on work. Focus on right now.

Taking a deep, shuddering breath, she pulled herself into movement and walked towards the smoldering remains of the building. All she had to do was look for salvage. 

One step at a time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for leaving so nice comments, even this long after I posted the last chapter! I read them all even if I am bad at replying to them. I am so, so happy that you like what I've created and I will do my best to give you a satisfactory ending (but not just yet!) ^_^
> 
> I hope to return soon with the next chapter!


	14. Confidence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Olivia starts unraveling a mystery she didn't know existed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for manipulation and non-graphic sexual assault.

‘Can you hand me the screwdriver, please? No, not that one, the cross recess--yes, exactly!’

Olivia extended her arm, leaning down as far as she could without releasing the beam or falling to her death, snatching the screwdriver Mali held up towards her and then standing up to twist the last few screws into the second support beam. Mali was silent as she worked, but as soon as the last screw was tucked snugly in the wood, she spoke again.

‘Do you always work without a safety harness?’

‘Huh? Oh, yes,’ Olivia replied, tugging at the beam to make sure it was steady. Thankfully, it didn’t budge. ‘Well, not when Arlo’s around,’ she added as she recalled whom she was talking to. ‘He’s picky about that kind of thing. Safety first and all that.’

‘Hm,’ Mali said. ‘Yes, he is quite the champion when it comes to the safety of others.’

Olivia glanced down at the inspector, mentally filling in the blanks: _but not when it comes to that of himself._ So Mali was aware of that, too. She was about to ask about it, when Mali changed subject on her.

‘Again, thank you for this, Olivia. I know you have a deadline for finishing the harbor, so you taking the time to help me with this lift is greatly appreciated.’

‘Yeah,’ she sighed as she reached for her bottle of water. ‘It’s fine. I know your time here is limited. I’ll go to the harbor as soon as we’re finished here.’ She paused as she drank, then wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. ‘So have you found anything out of the ordinary in any of the ruins?’

‘I’m sorry, but that is classified information.’

Of course. She really should have known that. If things had been normal between her and Arlo, he probably would have told her if they’d found something, but as it was, she hadn’t even seen him since the day Mali arrived, and even if she had, she doubted he would have said more than Mali. Because apparently they weren’t even friends anymore.

She grabbed the screwdriver and the hammer she’d leaned against the cliffside, then climbed down from the platform to reach the bottom. Looking up, she saw Mali stand with her arms crossed over her chest and her hip leaning against the short beam at the front, where the lift controls would be installed. And as Olivia bent down to root through her toolbox, she realised that this was a golden opportunity to put in a good word for Arlo. She just had to figure out how to go about it without making it too obvious…

‘You won’t tell the Captain about my recklessness, will you?’

Mali chuckled. ‘No. You should really wear a safety harness, Olivia, but you’re a grown woman. I’m not telling on you.’

Well, damn it. She hadn’t even mentioned Arlo’s name. Now how to bring that up?

‘Thanks,’ she said lightheartedly as she picked out a wrench and stood again. ‘I mean, I know I should use one. I know Arlo’s right.’ 

‘If nothing else, he’s darn stubborn, isn’t he?’

Olivia felt a tingle of hope. _Yes. Good. Finally going in the right direction._ She tossed the wrench back and forth between her hands while she looked up toward the platform, eyes skating across the construction to make sure everything was secured.

‘What do you mean?’ she asked in what she hoped was an innocent tone of voice.

The inspector sighed, but even without seeing her, Olivia could hear on her voice that she was smiling. ‘Well. The guy keeps taking the entrance exam every year even though he’s failed each time. Never gives up, that one.’

‘He’s good at what he does, though, isn’t he?’

‘He does have potential. But I don’t think he’s quite ready to join.’

Olivia frowned to herself. _I thought she was helping him train for the exam?_ This was taking an unexpected turn, and she wasn’t entirely sure where to go from there. ‘It’s very kind of you to be training him. Do you have a lot of insight into the entrance exam?’ she asked carefully as she reached up to tighten a loose bolt along the side of the left support beam.

Mali hummed distractedly. ‘I’m one of the judges, so, yes.’

The wrench scraped against the wood as Olivia lost her focus for a second. One of… the judges? But then…

She cleared her throat in an attempt to make her voice sound unaffected. ‘So how does the process work, exactly? Is acceptance into the guild based on a majority vote from the judges, or…?’

‘There are four judges,’ Mali explained in a light tone. ‘We all watch the candidates take the exam and then discuss their performances together, ranking them individually. To get into the guild, a candidate needs to score at least 80% of the possible points in each category, and each judge can give a maximum of 25%.’

‘So even if three out of four judges give the highest ranking they can to a candidate… If the fourth judge decides not to give any points, or to give less than 5%...’ 

‘That candidate will fail the exam,’ Mali confirmed. ‘And that is why Arlo still hasn’t passed, I’m afraid.’

Olivia lowered the tool and turned to look at Mali, who had a strange sort of amused smile on her lips that just didn’t fit at all with what she’d just said, and so Olivia had to give herself a second to think about what that meant. Because if Mali was one of the judges… And she didn’t think Arlo was ready to join yet…

‘You’re the one who keeps failing him,’ Olivia concluded, half hoping she would have misunderstood some part of Mali’s explanation, but the inspector nodded, sending a cold shiver through Olivia’s body. ‘Does he… does he know?’

‘No,’ she said. ‘It’s never revealed how many points each judge awards. All he gets is a summarized report with notes on what parts he failed and why his performance wasn’t up to scratch.’

Olivia cast her eyes down, finding it suddenly unbearable to even look at the other woman’s face. _Arlo…_ He put so much trust in Mali, and in return, she backstabbed him year after year?

‘I can see what you’re thinking,’ Mali said. ‘I help Arlo practice for the exam, then fail him behind his back. What a horrible thing to do. But believe me, it’s more complicated than that.’

More complicated? _More complicated?_ How could something be complicated enough to motivate doing that to someone who looked up to you as much as Arlo looked up to her? How could something be so complicated that it justified cheating him on his life’s dream over and over again?

She expected Mali to go on, but when she didn’t, Olivia frowned and lifted her gaze again, only to catch a glimpse of movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head, swallowing when she saw that it was Arlo, riding toward them on the back of his trusted horse. Mali must have seen the anxiety on her face, because she turned and caught sight of him as well.

‘Arlo!’ she called out, throwing out her arms, and Olivia felt distaste bubble up within her at the friendly tone. Did this woman have no conscience? 

The Captain pulled Spacer to a halt as soon as he’d come close enough, face calm but cautious as his gaze moved between the two of them. Olivia looked away. She hadn’t seen him in a week, and to say that last time they spoke had been awkward would be a grave understatement. Now that she knew the reason why he still hadn’t been accepted into his dream guild, and maybe never would, she felt like she was keeping something from him; something that, if she met his gaze, might spring loose and further break whatever spark of… of  _ something _ remained between them. She needed to tell him,  _ needed  _ to, but she couldn’t while Mali was there, so she just had to stand there and  _ fake _ . God, she wished she could just disappear in thin air. If only her lift had been in working order…

‘Everything okay here?’ he asked, and damn it, she could hear in his voice that he knew something was up. But she couldn’t make herself pretend that things were alright. She just couldn’t.

‘Oh, yes,’ Mali replied in an upbeat voice, clearly having no qualms about faking it. ‘You were right about this one. Olivia works fast, with high quality.’

Even though she wasn’t looking at him, Olivia could feel his gaze burn her face. 

‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘That’s sort of her M.O.’

Mali laughed then, and it wasn’t a cold or hard laugh by any means, but it still sounded fake to Olivia’s ears.

‘Indeed,’ she said, then shifted to cross her arms over her chest. ‘Now to what do we owe the pleasure?’

Arlo didn’t reply straight away, and so Olivia reluctantly turned her head to look at his face, tensing when she met his gaze, because… Because he was looking at her like he was trying to pull something out of her eyes with his mind, trying desperately to read her thoughts, and she found herself frozen in place as his eyes bore into hers. But apparently his mind reading powers were ineffective today, because he shook his head and exhaled in a deep sigh.

‘Just out on patrol,’ he said, tearing his gaze away to look at Mali instead, and Olivia felt herself let out a breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding. ‘Thought I’d swing by, make sure things are running smoothly here.’ 

‘Worried we’re gossiping about you, eh?’

Mali’s comment seemed to catch him off guard, because he froze and widened his eyes; just slightly, but enough that Olivia noticed it. But before he could say anything in his defense, Mali shook her head.

‘Olivia is a very busy woman. You wouldn’t want to keep her from finishing her work on time, would you?’

She watched him open his mouth, then close it again before he looked away, squeezing the reins more tightly in his hands. ‘No. No, of course not.’

‘Besides,’ Mali continued as Olivia looked on in a daze, ‘I’m sure you’re hot on the trails of whoever burned down that house in the harbor. Aren’t you?’

Olivia saw Arlo straighten a little in the saddle and pull his shoulders back, and she wasn’t sure why it gave her a bad feeling, but it did.

‘I, yeah,’ he said, pushing his heels into Spacer’s sides to get the horse to move forward. ‘I’ll let you get back to work.’

‘Sure thing, Captain,’ Mali called as he turned away and started trotting away. When he was out of hearing distance, she sighed and looked back at Olivia. ‘Let’s give this another hour or so, and then we’ll call it a day.’

Olivia nodded tightly before turning back around to face the lift, reaching mechanically toward her toolbox to pick out a saw. As soon as she got back to town, she would find Arlo, and she would have a talk with him about all of this. Because this wasn’t right. None of this was.

* * *

 

Olivia pushed open the doors to the Corps building, marching with decisive steps into the middle of the room before stopping to look around. 

‘Arlo?’ she called urgently. ‘Arlo, are you here?’

No response. She ran both hands through her hair, letting out a long exasperated sigh as she looked back toward the front door. Even though she and Mali had left the lift only half an hour later than intended, the way back had taken far too long for her liking, because one of the Dee Dee’s had broken down, and so they’d been forced to walk. And when they’d returned, Albert had stolen her away to talk about the harbor, peppering both her and Mint with questions, so when she was finally free to look for Arlo, it had already gotten dark. Maybe it would have been best to just give up at that point, try to find him tomorrow instead, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep until she told him what she’d found out about Mali.

But she’d looked everywhere she could think to look already, and he wasn’t in the Round Table, nor had he been outside any of the nearby ruins, or wandered around town or outside any of the gates, so if he weren’t here in the Corps building, then--

Olivia froze as she saw the doors start to open, then heard low female laughter emerging from outside, and she wasn’t entirely sure why, but her first instinct was to _hide._

As she backed away from the direct line of sight of whoever was coming through the doors, her gaze flew back and forth between three possible hiding places before she settled for the closest one. As quietly as she could, she sneaked over to the staircase leading up above the cell, taking three steps at a time before crouching down to squeeze herself into a tiny space between a few wooden boxes along the wall. She tried to control her breathing as she listened to the voices flowing up toward her.

‘You really never change, Arlo,’ a dark, female voice said in amusement. 

It must have been the same voice that had laughed just a few seconds earlier, and Olivia suddenly realized why her gut reaction had been to hide, because the voice clearly belonged to Mali, and she wasn’t sure she would’ve been able to stay in control of her face in her vicinity; not after everything she had heard her say to Arlo. She would rather trust a Bandirat than that damn woman.

‘So untouched by the politics of the Alliance,’ Mali continued with a short laugh. ‘Oh, I wish I could be as innocent and pure as you.’

Arlo laughed with her, but it sounded hesitant and insincere. ‘It must be tiring, having to constantly wonder whom to trust.’

‘It’s a jungle, sometimes,’ she admitted. ‘But luckily, I’m an excellent judge of character. Your little team here, for example, are like an open book to me; I already know exactly what to expect from them in any situation.’

Olivia cringed. Really? Had this woman ever heard of modesty?

But Arlo didn’t seem to think that Mali had said anything strange. ‘That must come in handy in the guild.’

‘Oh, it does. That skill is also how I first discovered your extraordinary abilities, you know.’

There was a moment of silence, leading Olivia to lean forward toward the railing to see what was going on. Mali and Arlo stood facing each other beside the sofa and the two armchairs, and they were close; closer than Olivia was comfortable with. Mali had one hand on Arlo’s shoulder, her fingers playing with the blue bandana around his neck.

‘I’m glad I had an opportunity to come here,’ she said softly. ‘This way, we can really kick start your training.’ Her hands moved down to adjust the lapels of his jacket, lowering her voice before continuing, ‘Really take your training to the next level.’

Olivia’s jaw dropped. Mali was clearly making a move on Arlo, and he didn’t even seem surprised. He gazed calmly into her eyes, allowing her fingers to graze his neck as he replied, ‘I think I’m ready. Don’t you?’

‘I think there’s still some room for improvement,’ Mali murmured, stepping even closer. Arlo leaned his head slightly back, as if to get away from her hand, but he didn’t step away. ‘You’ve gotten a little rusty, haven’t you? You don’t have anyone to spar with here. No one who’s good enough, anyway.’

‘Then we can spar,’ Arlo said, ‘tomorrow.’

Olivia wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but she thought she could hear his voice tremble slightly as he spoke.

Mali’s fingers stopped moving. ‘You’re hesitant,’ she said in a smooth tone of voice. ‘Has something happened? You know you can be frank with me, Arlo.’

Arlo sighed and backed away toward the wall. ‘This isn’t… the right time and place for this,’ he said. ‘Remington might be back soon, and—’

‘Don’t worry about that,’ Mali said, making a dismissive gesture as she diminished the distance between them again. ‘He won’t be back for another hour at least. I asked him and Sam to prepare the marsh ruins for the inspection tomorrow. If that’s all you’re worried about…’

Arlo now had his back against the wall, and Mali was so close their bodies were almost touching. She tilted her head to the side, parting her lips in a soft exhalation. Arlo looked back at her, gaze flickering between her lips and her eyes. Olivia couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Was he really considering it?

One of Mali’s hands moved up to toy with the zipper on his jacket as the other one touched his neck again. She leaned in toward him, placing a soft kiss against his jawbone. He groaned quietly, leaning his head back against the wall.

Olivia shook her head in disbelief. This wasn’t happening. Arlo _wasn’t_ letting that woman seduce her. He couldn’t be.

His eyes were pinched shut, his jaw tightly clenched, and Olivia was just about to lean back and sink into an angle where she wouldn’t have to see anymore, when suddenly he placed two hands on Mali’s shoulders and firmly pushed her away.

‘I can’t,’ he said, and it was clear that it took all his self-control to do so. ‘Mali… Things are different now.’

Olivia frowned. She was relieved he had interrupted whatever Mali was doing, but what did he mean by that?

‘Arlo,’ Mali said, her voice growing sterner, ‘you _are_ still looking to join the Flying Pigs, aren’t you?’

Olivia gasped. She quickly covered her mouth with one of her hands, worried that she’d revealed her hiding place, but neither of them seemed to notice her. She watched in shock as Arlo went almost limp against the wall, shoulders sagging.

‘Yes,’ he murmured, sounding more broken than she’d ever heard him. She wanted to run up to him and bring him into her arms, tell him that everything would be okay, that he didn’t need this awful woman in his life to become whom he wanted to be. But instead, she sat and watched, frozen in place, as the man she loved was crushed by someone who knowingly asserted her dominance over him to get what she wanted.

‘Each year, we get more and more applications,’ Mali went on to say, seemingly untouched by Arlo’s dejection. ‘Many of them are from young men like you. Most aren’t even close to your level of devotion, but there are a few nuggets of gold among the gravel.’ She fixed him in place with her gaze. ‘I really want you to get in, Arlo, and I will vouch for you to the others. But there’s only so much I can do. If you aren’t absolutely sure you still want it—’

‘I want it,’ Arlo said, leaving the wall by taking a confident step closer to Mali. He stared her down as he continued, ‘For every year that passes, I want it even more. I belong in the Flying Pigs. You can’t find anyone better suited than me.’

Mali’s lips quirked up into a smile. ‘There’s the confidence I know and love.’

She reached up to brush her knuckles against his cheek, letting her fingers slide down to grab hold of his chin. He was taller than her, but not by much; and considering that she was a member of the Flying Pigs, Olivia was dead certain she’d be able to match Arlo’s strength as well.

Mali leaned in closer, so close her lips were no more than an inch away from Arlo’s when she angled his face down toward her. ‘Why don’t you show me,’ she murmured, ‘how much you want it?’

There didn’t seem to exist an ounce of hesitation in Arlo’s mind now as he spun Mali around, shoved her back and pushed her up against the wall, nailing her hands in place with his own and forcing in a knee between her legs as he attacked her throat with his mouth, causing the inspector to moan and lean her head back. Olivia had to close her eyes and cover her ears, her heart drumming violently in her chest as her brain tried to understand what she had just seen. She didn’t want to see more, didn’t want to hear it, didn’t want to exist right now; all she wanted was for it all to end, so she could escape and forget that this had ever happened. Yet she knew that she couldn’t.

_Mali is using Arlo. She’s taking advantage of his aspirations to join the Flying Pigs. I can’t believe it. I have to do something!_

A loud slam forced her to open her eyes, and when she did, Arlo and Mali were nowhere to be seen. She removed her hands from her ears and immediately heard muffled sounds from inside Arlo’s bedroom. This was too much. She couldn’t take it.

Not caring about being quiet anymore, she exploded out from her hiding place, vaulted over the railing and landed hard on the floor below, stumbling forward. She scraped up her palms in the motion, but she didn’t care, she barely even noticed, she just had to get _out, out, OUT,_ and she didn’t stop moving, she somehow got up to the double doors and threw herself against them violently, rolling helplessly into the grass outside. She only allowed herself three seconds of stillness and _what the fuck is going on_ before scrambling up on her knees, then her feet, and half-running, half-stumbling all the way home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (M.O. = Modus Operandi, aka someone's signature way of doing things.)


	15. False

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which lies are told and allegiances are questioned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's light at the end of the tunnel, I promise.

Olivia stared down into her glass, eyes glued to the little squares of ice swirling around in the dark liquid. Her wrist was moving on its own accord, slowly keeping the liquid in motion as she thought of what had gone down in the Civil Corps’ HQ just a little while ago. 

Well… to say that she was _thinking_ might be a bit of an… inaccuracy. The images, sounds and emotions that flashed through her mind were completely out of her control; all she could do was to let them play out, because she was along for the ride and there was nothing she could do about it. 

The way Arlo had pulled back from Mali, clearly reluctant to go through with whatever she had in store for him. The dejection in his eyes when she had played the Flying Pigs card. The sudden change of mind as he’d pushed her up against that wall and done exactly what she’d wanted him to.

Mali might be outgoing and warm with most people, but that was clearly just a facade. Clearly she was a wolf in sheep’s clothing, and she’d swallowed Arlo whole.

Olivia let out a trembling sigh and hid her face in her hands. Hadn’t Arlo been through enough already? Hadn’t it been enough to take his sister from him and ostracize him from the rest of his family? Couldn’t the universe just cut him some slack for once?

She didn’t know what to think. She was filled to the brim with emotions, but she couldn’t pick one and separate it from the gray mess. The mere thought of Arlo having to go through all of this… To be used by someone he looked up to so deeply… It made her heart clench. It made her want to destroy things. 

And to think that this… That the Flying Pigs, that _Mali_ , was the reason why she and Arlo had decided they couldn’t be together. What a joke. What an absolutely cruel joke. 

She needed to talk to him. She had no idea how aware he was of Mali’s manipulation, but she couldn’t just stand by and let this happen any longer. If there was even a tiny chance that she could make him see his idol for what she truly was, then she owed it to him to take it. She didn’t know how, but she knew that she had to at least try. At this point, it wasn’t even important if they could be together or not; she just needed to help him get out of Mali’s claws. That’s all that was important.

But how? How would she tell him? And how would she make him believe her, and not think that she was just trying to stop him from applying for the Flying Pigs out of pettiness or selfishness?

Taking a slow breath to calm herself, Olivia let her hands fall from her face, then raised the glass to her lips and drank, feeling how the cold liquid burned her insides on its way down her throat and sent misty sprays of fog straight up into her head. She closed her eyes and swallowed, setting the glass down just a tiny bit harder than she’d intended as she faintly registered a laugh that was already familiar to her; familiar and uncomfortable.

She opened her eyes again, glancing toward the door from the corner of her eye. Mali was happily handing her jacket to Django, who took it and made an exaggerated bow before bringing it with him behind the bar.

‘Can I interest you in a drink, Inspector?’ he asked with a gleam in his eyes.

‘Oh, I don’t know,’ Mali said, making a dismissive wave with her hand as she laughed. ‘It’s rather late, isn’t it?’

‘Let me buy you one,’ Olivia called.

Mali and Django both fell silent as they turned to look straight at Olivia, and only then did she realize what she had just offered. She forced a smile despite feeling physically repulsed by the mere concept of smiling toward Mali. It wasn’t clear exactly what her brain was thinking, but there was no going back now.

Mali arched an eyebrow as she quickly studied Olivia’s face. ‘What for?’

Olivia scrambled for an excuse that would sound plausible, because maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea to buy her a drink after all. If she could get her to talk… to spill the beans… then maybe she would have a better chance of reaching through to Arlo. All the details she could get would be of help, right? Even though the thought of having to interact with Mali right now was about as tempting as throwing herself under a long-haul bus, if this could help Arlo, she was prepared to do it for him.

She widened her smile, and now that she knew where she wanted to go with it, it didn’t feel quite so repulsive anymore.

‘For helping the Civil Corps keep our town safe!’ she exclaimed, waving the inspector over and patting the bar stool next to her. ‘Let me buy you a drink; anything you want.’

Mali eyed Django, who nodded with a grin, then looked to the bar stool, where Olivia’s hand was still patting the seat, to then finally land on Olivia’s face again. It was impossible to read what the woman was thinking, but she seemed to come to the conclusion that she didn’t really have either a reason or an excuse to refuse, because the corners of her mouth quirked up and she took a seat next to Olivia.

‘Oh, you’re too kind,’ she said, laughing shortly as she greeted Olivia with a squeeze of her shoulder. ‘Sure, why not. The night is still young, I suppose!’

An image of Arlo--Arlo with his slumped shoulders and dejected eyes--swooped through Olivia’s mind, and she had to grit her teeth against the urge to empty the rest of the liquid in her glass over the inspector’s head. 

‘Which drink do you want?’

‘I’ll let this handsome gentleman surprise me,’ Mali said with a wink toward Django, who smiled and inclined his head before crouching down behind the bar to find the perfect bottle. Olivia half hoped he’d give her rat poison, so when he brought out a bottle that looked like something way more ordinary, she let out a low huff in disappointment. 

If Mali noticed, she didn’t show it; she watched Django curiously as he poured her drink, and Olivia sighed over how obvious it was that he was showing off to her. It annoyed her that it seemed like just about anyone could be tricked by Mali’s charm. Had she been as gullible? She could barely even remember now.

Mali got her drink, and Olivia paid, and thus began the game of charming the devious inspector. Olivia smiled, and laughed, and feigned interest in whatever she could get Mali to talk about, and either she was already too drunk herself to notice that something was off or she did actually manage to reach through the protective exterior, because Mali seemed to relax soon after finishing her first drink. Olivia offered to buy one more, and then another one, feeling smugly satisfied about how it changed Mali’s demeanor as the night went on. More and more people dropped out of the restaurant, and so when Olivia noticed Django eavesdropping on their conversation, she suggested that they move to a table in a corner of the restaurant, which Mali agreed to with a shrug. 

‘People are always awed by the Flying Pigs,’ she continued from where she’d left off in her story just before they got up from their bar stools, and Olivia rolled her eyes as the inspector droned on behind her while they moved to the new seats. ‘Yeah, we’ve got some really strong people in the guild. But if you look beyond the glow, we’re just a bunch of fun loving adventurers.’ Mali took a few gulps from her glass as they reached the booth, then set it down on the table so hard that it rattled. ‘Did you know the guild wasn’t always called the Flying Pigs? Used to be called the Adventurer’s guild. But people thought their planes looked like pigs, and nicknamed the guild for it. It caught on and became the official name not long after.’

‘Interesting,’ Olivia said, though she didn’t really care. She was getting exhausted. While the adrenaline had spiked after seeing Arlo and Mali together earlier, that high had faded out quickly, and all she wanted now was to curl up in bed and cry herself to sleep. 

But she was on a mission. She needed to do this; for herself, for Arlo, and for everyone else who might have been denied acceptance into the Flying Pigs because of this woman. So she pushed down her exhaustion as much as she could and forced a curious smile as she leaned forward over the table.

‘Your guild really is something special. Must have a lot of people applying each year?’

‘Hm,’ Mali said, leaning back against the backrest as she glanced back toward the bar, probably searching for Django. ‘A dozen or so. The difficulty level of the entrance exam is enough to scare away most people.’

‘And how many of those that apply get accepted?’

Mali’s gaze moved back to meet Olivia’s. She tilted her head to the side, one eyebrow quirking up as she sighed. ‘Oh brother,’ she said, ‘you're not looking to join the Flying Pigs as well, are you?’

 _As if._ Olivia suppressed a shiver and channeled all her remaining energy into smiling sweetly. ‘I don’t think I’m good enough for that.’

Mali seemed to relax at her reply. She smiled back, then leaned forward to pick up her glass. Olivia waited while she drank.

‘Maybe not,’ Mali said as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, ‘but it’s not just about the skills. It’s just as much about attitude.’

‘Really?’ Olivia asked, sincerely intrigued now as she leaned in closer, because this was exactly the in she had been waiting for ever since that first glass over an hour ago. ‘If that’s the case, why fail Arlo? He’s the most ambitious, brave and hardworking person I know.’

Mali laughed. ‘Oh, this again... Yes, Arlo is a whole other breed. If I’d met him today, maybe he could have joined the guild.’ She shrugged and raised her glass to her lips again. ‘But it’s too late now.’

That made Olivia pause. ‘Too late? What do you mean?’

The inspector gave her a sly smile. She emptied her glass in one movement, then waved for Django’s attention. He made two thumbs up in acknowledgement. At least this was something to celebrate—Olivia wouldn’t have to throw any more of her hard-earned cash at this disgusting woman.

Said woman leaned back in her chair, still smiling. ‘The young Captain is stunning, wouldn’t you say?’

Olivia knew she should tread very carefully around this subject if she wanted her interest in it to stay a secret. She made herself look as nonchalant as she could muster. ‘He has a certain charm, I guess.’

‘Well, one woman to another, he’s not just a pretty pony, if you know what I mean,’ she smirked. ‘He’s a fun little plaything. But it just wouldn’t be appropriate to have him in the guild; you can’t bring a toy to a battlefield, after all.’

Olivia couldn’t believe what she was hearing. _Did she just call Arlo a “plaything”? A “toy”?_ She stared openly at the inspector, who continued with a chuckle.

‘Don’t look so shocked, dear. Is it really that hard to believe that I would be able to seduce someone like Arlo?’

‘No,’ Olivia heard herself say; she knew Mali held Arlo in a firm grip and that she could probably snap him in half if she wanted to. ‘What’s hard to believe is that you’re denying him membership in the most reputable Adventurer’s guild there is—even though he clearly belongs there—just because you don’t want your “toy” in your team. That’s…’ She shook her head and stood up. ‘That’s fucking disgusting, is what it is.’

Mali rolled her eyes, still smiling. ‘Oh, sit down, Olivia. You’re overreacting.’

‘I’m not fucking overreacting!’ she exclaimed. She was trembling in anger at this point. ‘Joining the Flying Pigs is his life’s dream, and you’re talking about it like it’s just a silly little fantasy of his! You’re literally holding his future in your hands, you… you deplorable fucking piece of shit!’ She didn’t even care that half the people in the restaurant were staring at her now. If she had to start some rumors to stand up for Arlo, then so be it. 

‘It makes more sense for him to stay here,’ Mali said calmly. ‘At least until he’s matured enough to take the next step. He’s still too young.’

‘As if you were ever going to let him take any next steps,’ Olivia snarled as she clumsily gathered up her things. 

Her eyes were quickly filling with tears, and she needed to escape before she did something wholly inappropriate to the inspector. She’d gotten what she needed, and she didn’t want to spend another minute together with this horrible woman. 

Mali was silent now, but one look at her told Olivia that she was watching her carefully. Olivia didn’t have the brain power needed to decipher the look on her face right now, and she didn’t really care what it meant either. When she’d slung her bag over her shoulder and blinked away most of the tears, she stood to face the other woman with her back straight and chin held high.

‘I’m going to expose you,’ she said, lowering her voice so no one else would be able to hear. ‘I’m going to report you to your superiors, and you’re going to wish you’d gone into tending to _real_ pigs instead.’

Mali smiled; a soft, patronizing smile that gave Olivia the urge to punch her in the face.

‘My “superiors” are the government of the Free Alliance, dear.’

Olivia swallowed. ‘Then I’ll report you to Gale.’

Before Mali could say anything else, Olivia spun on her heel and marched away from the table, giving Django a single tight nod on her way out of the restaurant. Maybe she didn’t have a way of contacting the Alliance government, but she sure as hell had other ways.

 

* * *

 

 

‘How long have you and Olivia been a thing?’

Arlo paused with his hand around the clasp on his chest holster, gaze fixed to his wardrobe. He couldn’t allow himself to think now. He had to focus on his breathing. Slow, calm breaths. When he was sure he could keep himself under control, he lowered his hand to the next clasp and clicked it into place.

‘Good morning, Mali.’

He picked out his boots from the wardrobe and reached down to pull them on, keeping his head low in case she’d come closer.

‘Is it serious?’

He pulled the straps tight around his ankles, gritting his teeth. Olivia couldn’t possible have told her about them. Could she? No, she wouldn’t. Besides, what was there to say? They weren’t seeing each other anymore. This was a test from Mali, a test to check his dedication, and he wasn’t failing it.

‘There’s no “thing” between me and Olivia,’ he said as he straightened and closed the wardrobe, turning to face Mali fully. She stood halfway down the small staircase right by his door, arms crossed over her chest and hip leaning against the railing. ‘Our relationship is purely professional in nature.’

Mali sighed and shook her head. ‘Arlo, sweet Arlo… You know what I’ve said about interpersonal relationships. It’s a distraction you can’t afford.’

He looked away. ‘I know that,’ he said. ‘But it isn’t like that with her. At most, we’re friends.’

‘Friends?’ Mali scoffed. ‘Oh, please.’

He looked back at her again, fully prepared to keep denying everything she threw at him, but something in her eyes made him pause, lose his trail of thought. Was that... resentment he saw? For Olivia?

‘What has she done?’ he asked quietly, hoping for her own sake she hadn’t actually done something to deserve Mali’s disdain.

Mali studied him for a moment, her eyes narrowing in thought. Then she left her place by the railing to take a few slow, casual steps toward him.

‘I ran into her in the Round Table last night,’ she said, instantly setting Arlo on alert. ‘She offered to buy me a drink.’

He waited for her to continue, but when she didn’t, he raised an eyebrow. Was that all? ‘Yeah, that sounds horrible.’

She pursed her lips, as if his attempt at humor just annoyed her further. ‘She bought me a drink, then proceeded to ask me about the entrance exam. Wondered whether you were actually any good.’

His eyebrow slowly lowered again.

‘She then went on to tell me some very charming stories about you,’ Mali went on, one end of her mouth quirking up into a smirk. ‘Well, I say charming, but if I didn’t already know you, I’d be hard-pressed to think you were anything other than naive, reckless and maybe even a little paranoid after listening to her.’ She gave him a knowing look. ‘Clearly, she doesn’t want you to get accepted into the guild. So tell me, Captain, what reason would she have for that? Other than an infatuation?’

Arlo clenched his jaw, struggling not to scowl. 

She took another two steps closer, standing close enough now that he could smell her shampoo. ‘We’ve talked about this,’ she said quietly, looking up at him with a concerned frown on her face. Her right hand reached up to touch his cheek. ‘You’re a handsome young man with a brilliant future. Don’t let a simple Portia girl keep you from that future.’

 _She’s not a simple Portia girl,_ he thought, but then he caught himself, because why was he even thinking that? Maybe he’d misjudged her completely. If she was so desperate to have him stay… Then maybe she wasn’t the person he thought she was. 

‘On another note,’ Mali continued, letting her hand fall as her expression smoothed out again. ‘I talked to Gale on my way here, and he understood the urgency of inspecting the last couple of ruins. You’ll need to inform Olivia that the lift is a priority.’

He was about to ask why he had to be the one to tell her, but caught himself. No, he didn’t really feel like talking to Olivia right now, but he couldn’t come up with an excuse as to why he shouldn’t. And besides, this would be a good opportunity to check where things stood with her. Because maybe Mali had misunderstood something. Or maybe she’d misheard Olivia somehow… Maybe, just maybe, it wasn’t as bad as it sounded. Didn’t he at least owe it to her to find out? To check the truth for himself?

‘Alright,’ he sighed, running a hand through his hair as he took a step to the side and moved past Mali toward the door. ‘I’ll catch up with you later, then.’

‘Try not to give the poor girl false hope, hm?’

He gritted his teeth as he took the small staircase in one large step. _No,_ he thought. _The only one with false hope was me._

 

* * *

 

 

Olivia sniffled, wiping her nose with her sleeve and blinking away the stupid tears in her eyes as she tried to focus on the wire in her hand. She wished she could just stop crying all the damn time, because it wasn’t productive or constructive in any way. It didn’t help Arlo, it didn’t help her, and it definitely didn’t help anyone who walked past and saw her.

Maybe she should just go inside and hide until noon. She’d gone to Gale’s office as soon as it opened, intending to tell him everything she’d found out about Mali, but by then, he’d already been in a meeting with someone else. Since she had no idea how long it would go on for, she’d sighed and returned to her workshop. She’d tried to work, but it wasn’t exactly easy when her tears kept blurring her vision. If Arlo had been there, he would’ve told her to step away from her worktable, because it wasn’t safe to use sharp tools when she couldn’t even see anything. Safety first. 

But… she needed a way to distract herself. If she went inside, she’d just end up wallowing in her emotions. What she needed was work, and some fresh air, and then in an hour or so, she’d return to the mayor’s office and expose all of Mali’s filth--

‘Olivia.’

She froze, her hands still holding the wire. She didn’t want to look up, because she knew whom that voice belonged to, and if she saw his face, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to pretend that everything was fine. It didn’t seem like he’d noticed her tears yet, and she preferred for it to stay that way.

‘Good morning, Arlo,’ she said after clearing her throat, mentally patting her own shoulder for managing to sound so calm.

There was no way she could focus on her work now, but she really didn’t want to look at him right now, and so she picked up a pair of pliers from her toolbox and brought it to the end of the wire. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him lean forward and rest his elbows against the fence.

‘How’s your work coming along?’

‘So we’re making small talk now?’

She hadn’t meant for it to slip out, because she didn’t really want to have an argument with him, not after everything that had happened, but it was so hard not to take the easy way out and push him away instead of talking to him about Mali. It was so hard not to let all her conflicting emotions turn into anger, and to target that anger at him. She knew it wasn’t fair to him, but she just… she just _couldn’t_ right now. 

Arlo fell silent, and after holding out for a few more seconds, Olivia wiped her eyes with her sleeve, then looked up at him.

He didn’t look sad, or angry, or even that surprised. What she saw was his regular work face—the impassive face that betrayed none of his emotions—but only for a second, before his expression softened and a crease appeared between his eyebrows as he saw her eyes.

‘Liv,’ he said, and she winced at the sound of her pet name. ‘Are you--’

‘What are you doing here, Arlo?’ she asked quietly.

He opened his mouth, then closed it again. Looked away from her for a second before looking back, and then sighed. ‘I… came by to tell you to prioritize building the lift for the Western Plateau. We need to get it ready within the week.’

She froze. _That_ was the reason why he’d finally come talk to her? Not to see how she was, or have an actual conversation with her for the first time in weeks, but to give her a second hand order from Mali? She firmly set the pliers down on her worktable and looked up at him, heart thudding in her chest.

‘Oh we do, don’t we?’

Arlo’s brows furrowed only slightly, but he straightened and seemed to look a little uncomfortable. ‘Gale’s orders.’

Yeah, right. Gale would never give an order like that. This was clearly the work of the inspector from Lucien, and for Arlo to lie to her like that… She swallowed down the lump in her throat.

‘And the harbor? What about the Alliance government?’

‘The Alliance government will understand. They know the risks of letting rogue AI’s run amok.’

She frowned. ‘I’ll ask Gale myself,’ she said, starting toward her gate. Never mind that the mayor was occupied this morning; she could wait. She could sit on the steps outside and wait for as long as necessary.

Arlo stepped in front of her as she opened the gate. His arms shot out to the sides, pushing against the poles to keep her from going past him. She stopped and glared up at him, expecting to see his impassive face again, but his eyes had turned hard.

‘You don’t trust me?’ he asked, voice low but level, and she winced inwardly. He rarely used that voice with her, but it always made her feel like she was a kid who was being lectured by an authority figure.

‘If you were telling the truth,’ she forced out, ‘you’d let me check with Gale.’

They stared each other down, neither of them ready to be the one who backed down. She considered trying to dip below one of his arms and run for it, but she knew he was fast and strong enough to stop her. 

She could see one corner of his mouth twitching, and she wasn’t sure what it meant, but she was fairly certain he was failing to read her too, because his eyes kept scanning her face but he didn’t seem able to draw any conclusions. Then he sighed, arms relaxing slightly.

‘So go double-check it, then. But please, tell me what’s going on first.’

She glared up at him as he just gazed back calmly, and she wanted to tell him, she really did, but she didn’t know how to bring it up. They hadn’t talked for real in a long while, so how was she supposed to segway into a conversation about something as serious as mental and sexual abuse? She didn’t even have any real proof of what Mali had told her, so could she really expect him to believe her?

She knew she had to try, though. She needed to do this for him; needed to do everything she could to help him. And if he was in the dark about Mali, then it was her responsibility as his friend to try to shine a light on it.

‘Mali is the reason why you keep failing the guild’s entrance exam,’ she said, watching his face closely.

She’d almost expected him to just scoff and brush it off, so the reaction she got instead came as a surprise. He widened his eyes, leaning back in a half-flinch to blink at her as he processed what she’d just said, and a small hope sparked to life inside her. Maybe he actually believed her? But then he regained control of himself and pulled his face into a frown instead.

‘Oh, I know what’s going on,’ he said in a dry voice. ‘You don’t like Mali, because she’s from the Flying Pigs.’

‘What?!’ Olivia shook her head. ‘That’s not at all—’

‘And the Flying Pigs is what’s keeping you and me apart. Of course you’re going to take it out on Mali.’

She stared at him, mouth hanging open. Really? So this was how much their friendship was worth?

She felt tears start to burn behind her eyes again, and she just couldn’t bear to cry in front of him right now, so she spun on her heel and headed for her front door. The sound of footsteps in the grass behind her told her he was following her.

‘She’s _helping_ me,’ he argued. ‘She’s been helping me for years. Do you know how ridiculous you sound when you accuse her of being the reason for my failure? It has nothing to do with her. It’s just that I’m not good enough yet, and she’s helping me get there!’

Olivia stopped, one hand pressed against the door. She took a deep breath to calm herself. _He’s so blind. He’s so, so blind._ And the realization didn’t even make her angry; it just made her sad for his sake. He was so clearly being brainwashed by Mali.

‘Helping you,’ she repeated quietly, knowing that he would hear. ‘No. She’s only helping herself.’

There was a moment of silence as, she assumed, Arlo took in what she was saying. Then she heard him draw in a trembling breath.

‘You don’t want me to leave. I get it. But you have to stop doing this, Olivia.’ 

She paused. ‘Stop doing what?’

‘Mali told me,’ he said. ‘About your drink last night.’

 _What?_ She’d told Arlo? That made no sense; Olivia had cussed her out for taking advantage of him, so what could she possibly have said about it that would make Arlo react like _this?_

‘What more did she say?’ she asked tightly, staring into the fibers of the wooden door.

‘It’s not important what she said. What’s important is that you’re using foul techniques to make me stay in Portia,’ he said. ‘And I really didn’t think you could stoop so low.’

Olivia wasn’t sure she’d heard him correctly. She slowly turned around to face him. ‘Excuse me?’

‘You tried bad-mouthing me to Mali,’ he said calmly. ‘To get her to fail me. Because if I fail, I’ll stay in Portia.’

Olivia stared at him. ‘What? No!’

Because she’d sworn; she’d sworn she would help him get into the Flying Pigs, and she would never bad-mouth him, _never_ , and especially not to--to _Mali._

‘Arlo,’ she continued desperately, ‘listen, Mali is lying to you. I would never--’

Arlo held up a hand as he shook his head. He didn’t look angry, or disappointed, or even upset. He just looked… tired.

‘Why don’t you just get over it already?’ he asked in a low voice. ‘I’m going away. I’m leaving Portia.’

‘Arlo, she’s _lying_ to you about me--’ 

‘Why do you still care so much?’ he continued, completely ignoring her attempts to explain, and she could hear he was starting to grow more emotional, because his voice was rising in both volume and pitch. ‘You have Mint now.’

‘Mint?’ she spluttered, voice nearly breaking. ‘What does Mint have to do with any of this?’

He clenched his jaw before replying. ‘You told him about us. And ever since you did, he’s been watching over you like a hawk.’

‘Oh my fucking god, Arlo. He’s a friend! A good friend who cares about me! Are you seriously jealous of _Mint_?’

‘He’s good-looking, intelligent, and most important of all, he’s not going to leave you for a stupid guild somewhere in another city,’ Arlo responded, eyes blazing. ‘Isn’t that what you want?’

Olivia clenched her hands by her sides. How could he? How could he stand there and blame _her_ for breaking it off with him? How could he blame her for something that was _his_ choice, had been his choice from the beginning?

‘So maybe Mint makes me feel safe,’ she said. ‘Maybe he is all those things you described, and maybe I’m enjoying his company. But at least I’m not _fucking_ him for a god damn _promotion._ ’

Arlo flinched like she’d just thrown a bowl of boiling water at him, jerking away in what could easily have been pain. When his eyes focused on her again, he just stared, mouth hanging open, chin trembling. It was like she’d flicked a switch, and she instantly regretted her choice of words. He was accusing her of things that just weren’t true, but she knew it wasn’t his fault Mali was manipulating him. She knew it, so why was she taking it out on him? 

‘Arlo, I’m sorry,’ she whispered, reaching for him, but he jerked back. ‘I--I didn’t mean...’

He shook his head, his eyebrows and lips twitching as he visibly fought with himself. ‘You… saw us,’ he concluded.

Olivia hesitated, half hoping she could go back to before she’d said those devastating words. Because now she really had no choice; she had to go forward with this.

‘I came to the HQ last night to tell you what I’d found out about Mali,’ she mumbled, staring down at her feet. ‘I heard what she told you. I saw that you didn’t like it. But you went through with it anyway.’

Arlo let his head loll to his chest. He reached up with one hand to run it through his hair. ‘Olivia, I…’

He trailed off. Olivia bit her lip; this wasn’t the way she’d wanted this to go. In fact, this might be the absolute worst way this could have possibly gone.

‘Do you… want to come inside?’ she asked quietly.

He sighed deeply, but then he looked up at her, and the look on his face gave her an urge to pull him into her arms and tell him that everything would be okay, but she forced herself to stay still and wait for him to decide what to do next. 

‘Yeah,’ he murmured. ‘I think that’s probably for the best.’


	16. Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Olivia tries to talk some sense into Arlo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've... not been in the best place lately, which is why I haven't done much writing at all. But here's finally another chapter for you! I hope you'll like it ^_^
> 
> Thank you for your encouraging words on the previous chapters <3

Arlo ran his fingers along the edge of the mantelpiece, gaze distractedly flickering over the photographs and little mementos Olivia had gathered over the nine months she’d been living in Portia. He was in one of the photographs, wearing a smugly proud smile as he shook Olivia’s hand in his. Neither of them looked into the camera; both were focused only on each other, despite the crowd that had gathered around them, clearly cheering for Olivia. That photograph must have been taken right after the sparring match she won against him… how many months ago? Five, six? They’d barely even known each other back then, but the way they were looking at each other could have fooled him. 

‘Arlo?’

He sighed softly, then tore his gaze away from the photograph to face real life Olivia. She had sat down in her couch, feet planted on the floor and back stiffly straight, arms wrapped around herself as a makeshift shield. 

‘Do you want to sit down?’ she asked quietly.

He eyed the seat next to her. ‘I’m fine, thanks,’ he said, because at least when he was standing, he felt somewhat grounded.

Olivia frowned, but didn’t argue. He almost wished she had. Not because he wanted to sit, but because seeing her so crestfallen made him feel like shit. She looked like that because of him. All of this was his fault, and there she was, willing to put up with him despite how much he’d hurt her. What kind of worthless piece of garbage would--

‘Stop.’

His thoughts trailed off as his eyes focused again, taking in Olivia’s determined face in front of him. She’d leaned forward, hands clapped on her thighs, and her gaze was so intense he found himself completely sucked in by it.

‘You know I can see that you’re talking shit about yourself again,’ she said, voice wavering slightly. ‘So stop. Please.’

He hesitated as his gaze slipped down to her hands. She dug her fingertips into her thighs, then relaxed them before squeezing again. Right. She always seemed to see right through him when he did that.

‘You know this isn’t your fault, right?’ she asked. 

His eyes snapped to hers again. _That’s bullshit,_ he wanted to say, but stopped himself. She didn’t want him to blame himself, so he could at least be gracious enough not to rub his self-hatred in her face.

‘What did you want to tell me about… about Mali?’ he asked instead. He studied her face closely as he said Mali’s name, and could only see the barest hint of a reaction: a twitch between her eyebrows, her lips pursing slightly. But it was enough of a tell for him. ‘What did you find out?’

She stared up at him for a bit longer before sighing and casting down her eyes. Her mouth opened, then immediately closed, and by god, could she just spit it out? Why did she have to torture him like this?

‘Olivia,’ he insisted. 

She wouldn’t look at him, and he could swear the walls around him were closing in on him, his heartbeats growing louder and louder in his ears as the room slowly emptied itself of its oxygen. He gulped, flexing his fingers by his sides, waiting as patiently as he could as he watched Olivia gather courage to speak. Because he didn’t want to rush her. He didn’t want to raise his voice and demand that she tell him. But if she didn’t say something soon, he wasn’t sure he would be able to keep himself from doing it just the same.

Then finally, _finally_ she looked up again. For a brief flicker of a second he felt like he could see all of her raw emotions completely unfiltered in her eyes, and she could just as well have squeezed his lungs in her hands and kicked him in his guts with steel toecaps, that’s how much it hurt seeing her like that. He almost rushed over to pull her into his arms right then, almost said fuck it to Mali and the Flying Pigs and everything else except _her,_ but then she looked away and drew in a shuddering breath, and he forced himself to push everything down and stay calm. 

‘Mali’s never going to let you into the Flying Pigs,’ she said in a thick voice, and shit, was that a sob? ‘She’s just using you, Arlo. She’s just…’ She sniffled. Arlo stared at her, slowly lowering his eyebrows as he listened intently to what she had to say. ‘She called you a _“toy”_ ,’ she said before letting out a loud sob, throwing her arm out in a gesture that almost seemed like she was pushing an imaginary Mali away from her.

Arlo stayed silent even as his brain started working to process what she was saying, trying to come up with plausible alternatives, but no, he wouldn’t let himself go there. Not now. Not before she’d finished talking, at the very least. He’d listen to what she had to say this time. So he just breathed slowly through his nose and watched her struggle to continue.

‘She called you a _plaything,_ ’ she said, no more than a breath, so that he had to take a careful step closer to hear her better. Then she surprised him by looking up at him, straight into his eyes, with tears already running down her cheeks and her lips trying to shape words around her gritted teeth. Arlo widened his eyes. He’d never seen Olivia like this before, this… emotional. He’d seen her cry, had seen her plead with her eyes to make him stay with her, that night that seemed so long ago now… But even then, she hadn’t looked this devastated. The way she looked at him now made him think that she must have worn a better poker face lately than he’d thought.

‘And… and she told me,’ she sniffled, ‘she told me yesterday by the lift, that--that--’

He tensed, clenching his hands into fists by his sides to stop himself from walking the last few steps up to her. _Not yet. Let her speak._

Olivia shook her head before wiping her nose with the back of her hand. ‘She told me she’s the judge who’s been failing you. I’d--I’d bet my left kidney all the other judges are giving you the highest scores. But Mali always makes sure you fail. Mali doesn’t want you in the Flying Pigs, Arlo... She’s just using you.’ She sobbed and ran her hands over her face, then her hair as she smoothed it back. ‘She’s using you like a--like a _toy,_ and she’s manipulating you. Can’t you see that? That she’s manipulating you?’

Her voice was rising higher and higher in pitch, and Arlo found himself lifting his hands in front of him in an instinctive response to try to calm her, but it was useless, because she wasn’t even looking at him anymore. 

‘Olivia, please, take a deep breath,’ he urged quietly. ‘You’re starting to ramble--’

‘I’m not rambling!’ she exclaimed, making him jerk back as she turned quickly to nail him in place with intense eyes. ‘God damn fucking… are you even listening to what I’m saying?!’

He looked around in search of something that could help him get through this, but there was no divine intervention waiting behind his back. Fuck, he didn’t want to upset her, but… He let out a strained breath as he tried to clear his head.

‘I am,’ he said as calmly as he could muster, ‘but you’re... not…’ He trailed off.

‘Not what?’ she demanded, and now her eyes were just cold. 

He knew he should stop, should back-pedal at this point and try to save the situation, but damn it, they were way past that now, weren’t they?

‘You’re not making sense,’ he muttered, avoiding her gaze, because he knew it wouldn’t be pleasant. 

‘I’m… not making sense?’ she asked, her voice full of disbelief.

‘If Mali didn’t want me in the Flying Pigs,’ he began, ‘why would she go to the trouble of helping me train? I get that you’re upset,’ he added quickly when she started arguing, ‘but you must see just as well as I do that it doesn’t add up?’

She fell silent, and after several long seconds, he dared to look back at her face again, his heart dropping when he saw how miserable she looked. He wanted to comfort her, but he didn’t want her to wrongfully think that he agreed with everything she said. And that conflicting interest tore at him in opposite directions, opening up a chasm in his chest that only widened as he kept hesitating, watching her sob and hide her face in her hands.

‘You don’t trust me,’ she mumbled, almost inaudibly. 

 _Shit._ This was going to hell, and he had no idea how to stop it. ‘I trust you,’ he tried, ‘I know you wouldn’t lie, but maybe you’ve got the wrong idea--’

‘Arlo,’ she said as she let her hands fall from her face. She’d wiped away the tears, but her face was still mushy, still angry, and he nodded to show that she had his attention. ‘What would you call what you and Mali did last night? Was it consensual?’

He froze. Of course he’d known that the question would come sooner or later, but he would never have been able to prepare for it.

‘I don’t think we should talk about that,’ he said, slowly crossing his arms over his chest as he looked away in discomfort.

Olivia sighed quietly. ‘I’m sorry, but we have to. We really, really have to.’

He found himself shaking his head without making any kind of conscious decision, and immediately stopped, turning away to start pacing back and forth across the room in an attempt to distract himself. As he turned his back to the couch a third time, he heard Olivia get up. _No, don’t come close, don’t touch me, don’t--_

Her fingers touched his arm and he jerked it back instinctively, then regretted it in the very next second. He stopped and spun around, already reaching out for her, only to find that she had lowered her head and was backing away.

‘Olivia, please--’

‘She assaulted you,’ she murmured.

Arlo stared at her, his hand frozen in the air between them. ‘She--she didn’t--’ He drew for air as he shook his head in denial. ‘That’s not what that was!’

‘What was it then?’

He fell silent, lips parted around words unsaid. His brain fumbled for a response, something that would convince her to let this outrageous idea go, because it just wasn’t _true--_ but then why couldn’t he find anything to say? Why couldn’t he come up with a retort?

‘I…’ He raised his hands to run them through his hair. Olivia’s face seemed to grow fuzzy in front of him, and he blinked in an attempt to clear his vision, but it just made it worse. ‘It wasn’t…’ He tried to say the word “assault”, but it just wouldn’t come out. What the hell was wrong with him? Why couldn’t he just say it?

Olivia murmured something else, something that he couldn’t hear, or that at least he was fairly sure he must have misheard, because she couldn’t have said _that…_ Right?

‘Beg your pardon?’ he whispered, desperately hoping he’d imagined it.

‘I’m going to tell Gale,’ she said, a little louder now a she raised her head to look at him again. He widened his eyes.

‘What? Liv, you can’t--’

He tried to reach for her again, but she stepped out of his reach. Panic was starting to bubble up within him now.

‘No,’ he breathed. ‘You _can’t!_ ’

‘Why not?’ 

She crossed her arms over her chest in defiance, but her eyes were uncertain, and he gripped on to that fact as he took a step closer, staring down at her as she found she’d backed into a wall and couldn’t put any more distance between them than she already had. He stopped then, because he didn’t want her to feel trapped, even though his hand was twitching in its eagerness to grab her, to hold on to her so she wouldn’t be able to leave and do something rash.

‘You can’t do that,’ he said quietly, holding her gaze to make sure she was listening, ‘because it’ll mess up my chances to get into the Flying Pigs.’

Olivia blinked up at him, like she’d assumed he would just splutter some bad excuse instead of giving her an actual reason. Then she frowned and shook her head, and without breaking eye contact, she reached forward to take his hands in hers. He swallowed as her thumbs started stroking the back of his hands. 

‘Mali is the only reason you’re not already in the guild,’ she said quietly. ‘And who knows how many others she is taking advantage of? How many dreams she’s crushing? Arlo, we need to _stop_ her. You don’t have to accept everything I’m saying right now, but if you have any faith in me at all, please trust me on this. I wouldn’t lie to you, and I haven’t misunderstood anything. Trust me, and let me help you. Please?’

He drew in a trembling breath. She looked so hopeful, like she truly believed she could make things right again. And while he knew that was impossible--that everything had gone too far to be even remotely salvageable by now--he just couldn’t bear to shut her down again. So he nodded solemnly, watching as a new gleam sparked to life in her eyes.

‘You’ll come with me to Gale, then?’ she asked.

‘I didn’t say that,’ he murmured, finally tearing his gaze away to stare into the wall above her as he tried to breathe long, deep breaths.

She released one of his hands to reach up and touch his left cheek with her fingers, clearly wanting him to look back down again, but he didn’t budge.

‘Please,’ she repeated.

He clenched his jaw. ‘I really don’t want to do that.’ 

His cheeks flushed at how his voice broke at the last few words, but Olivia didn’t draw attention to it. Instead, she carefully wrapped her arms around his back and tugged him toward her. Arlo reluctantly let himself be pulled into the embrace, closing his eyes as she leaned her head against his chest, because that felt nice; it felt _really nice._ God, he’d missed being close to her.

They stood like that for a long while, neither of them saying another word, and eventually he closed his eyes and let himself imagine for a moment that everything was alright. That he hadn’t gotten himself into such a huge goddamn mess. That he and Olivia could have just had a simple, drama free relationship, without his stupid baggage getting between them time and time again.

But maybe things weren’t completely fucked after all? Maybe Olivia was right to feel hope?

Maybe they could fix things. Maybe _he_ could fix things. 

‘Okay,’ he murmured at last, cupping her neck in his right hand as he pulled her flush against him with the other, and _by god_ did that feel good. And the scent of her hair, and skin… It made him want to scoop her up in his arms and carry her to bed; to cuddle up with her beneath the covers, bury his nose in her neck and pretend that the rest of the world didn’t exist. Maybe he could have that? Not right now obviously, but someday? ‘Okay, I’ll come with you. We’ll go talk to Gale.’

She let out a soft sigh of contentment as she squeezed him in her arms. ‘Thank you,’ she whispered. ‘Thank you so, so much.’


	17. Late

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Olivia puts her faith in Arlo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What? A chapter three days after the last one? Well, that's what happens when inspiration hits!
> 
> (TW: mention of sexual assault)

Olivia had heard Arlo’s footsteps a short distance behind her all the way from her workshop to the plaza, but as she reached the steps to the City Hall, they suddenly fell silent. She stopped and looked over her shoulder, only to see Arlo frozen a way back, forehead wrinkled and glassy eyes staring up at the building ahead. She bit her lip as she regarded him. This wasn’t going to be easy, but then again, she hadn’t expected it to.

She turned around and walked up to him, then after a moment’s hesitation grabbed his right hand and squeezed it between both of hers. Only then did he lower his gaze, but he still seemed far away in his mind.

‘Arlo,’ she said quietly, glancing around to see if anyone was watching them, but so far, no one paid any attention. Most people in Portia had either begun work or school by now, so the only ones still out were either elders, tourists or people who worked nearby. She could see Sonia casting stolen looks in their direction though, so she placed herself between Arlo and the waitress in an attempt to shield him somewhat from her curiosity. Of course, he was way taller than Olivia, so it probably didn’t help much, but it’s the thought that counts.

‘Arlo,’ she tried again, and this time, he let out a low hum in recognition. ‘It’ll be okay, I promise. Gale is a good man.’

He shook his head, then took a deep breath before looking at her again. ‘It’s just… Can’t we do it later? He just got to work, I don’t want to bother him with this right now.’

Olivia forced down her unease and offered him a soft smile as she squeezed his hand again. ‘Better to grab his attention before he gets too focused on his work. Come on.’

She started tugging him with her toward City Hall. He pulled his hand out of her grip, shaking his head almost imperceptibly when she turned back to look at him, but then something changed. He took in another deep breath which he let out in a long sigh as he relaxed his shoulders and straightened his posture. His frown smoothed out into the impassive work face he tended to wear in public, and with his chin held high and gaze set straight, he started walking over to the steps. Olivia stared after him. It was like he’d flicked a switch. Not that she minded if it meant he’d tell Gale about everything that was going on, which it seemed like he might do, considering the confidence with which he now knocked on the mayor’s door. She hurried after him, reaching the first step just as the door opened.

But it wasn’t Gale who greeted them in the doorway.

It was Mali.

Olivia tensed as the sinister woman’s sharp eyes centered on Arlo, one hand going to her hip as she arched an eyebrow. 

‘Captain,’ she said dryly. ‘Taking a quick detour, are we?’

That’s when it hit Olivia. This was the person Gale had been in a meeting with when she came by earlier. He’d been in a meeting with  _ Mali… _ all morning.

Arlo’s jaw moved mechanically but without sound. He’d clearly been caught off guard, and judging by the way Mali’s lips were quirking upward, she must know it too. 

Olivia raised her right hand and pressed it lightly against the small of Arlo’s back, desperate to give some measure of support but knowing that she couldn’t fight this battle for him. She felt his muscles clench beneath her palm, then relax a short moment later.

‘Olivia wanted to ask the mayor some follow-up questions about the new project priorities. I said I’d escort her.’

Her heart clenched. She knew full well that this was difficult for him, but the fact that he could even talk right now made a warm feeling of pride blossom within her.

Mali leaned a little to the side, and then her eyes focused on Olivia instead.  _ Stay calm. She can’t possibly know that he’s lying, so if I don’t fuck this up, we’ll be in the clear. _ The woman’s intense gaze made it hard to keep her face under control, but damn if she was going to get Arlo in trouble just because she had a bad poker face. No way she would allow that to happen.

‘Ah, yes,’ Mali said calmly. ‘I’m sorry about this, Olivia. I know you have your hands full already with the harbor project.’

‘I do,’ Olivia replied, forcing her voice to sound light. ‘That’s why I’m here. I wanted to clear some things up with the mayor.’ She took another step up the stairs and peered inside behind Mali, glimpsing Gale behind his desk. He was sitting in his chair, but was clearly listening in on their conversation, judging by how far he was leaning to the side to be able to see them. ‘Good morning, Gale!’

The rotund man smiled and waved. ‘Hi there, Olivia! Arlo! Please, come inside. You too, inspector.’

Mali tilted her head to the side and smiled warmly as she stepped to the side, welcoming both of them in with a sweeping arm gesture. Olivia carefully pushed against Arlo’s back when he didn’t start walking, and fortunately that made him jolt into motion. She let her hand slide off him just before they passed Mali, ignoring the woman’s gaze even as it burned into the side of her head. She focused on Arlo instead where he walked toward the mayor’s desk. She wished she could see his face; wished she could know what he was thinking. Did he regret coming here with her? Damn it, she wanted to comfort him somehow, but there was nothing she could do right now. Not with Mali standing behind them.

He veered to the side right before the desk, moving to lean back against one of the large bookcases and crossing his arms over his chest as he lowered his gaze to the floor. Avoidant. That was fine. It was understandable. If only she could get Mali out of there… without revealing the real reason behind their visit.

Gale leaned forward in his chair and locked his hands in front of him on the desk. ‘Now what did you want to ask me?’ 

She took a moment to steady herself before throwing a quick glance in Mali’s direction. 

‘If you don’t mind, inspector, I’d like to talk to the mayor in private. Since the harbor has been threatened lately, I think it’s best if we keep the number of involved parties to a minimum.’

‘The inspector has higher security clearance than our own Corps,’ Gale reminded her with a frown. ‘I hardly think it would pose any risks to the project if she stayed.’

Olivia slowly turned back to Gale, moistening her lips as she tried to come up with a smart reply. ‘Of course,’ she said. ‘It’s just…’ She sighed, making a show of wrapping her arms around herself and shivering slightly. ‘I didn’t want to admit it, but the whole thing with the threats has been stressing me out. I’d really like a private conversation with you, Mr. Mayor, if that’s ok. If you decide that there’s anything the inspector should know about, I don’t mind if you get her up to speed later.’

Gale eyed Mali for a moment, then nodded. ‘I will call on you if something comes up, inspector. Thank you.’

If Mali was annoyed, she didn’t show it. She just inclined her head to the mayor, spun on her heel and left. Only when the door closed behind her did Olivia allow herself to exhale in relief. She looked to Arlo, who just then raised his gaze to look back at her. His face was impassive, but she could see the weariness in his eyes. This took a toll on him; maybe more than she’d guessed. She sent him a short smile in an attempt to reassure him, but it just made him lower his gaze again. Well. At least they’d gotten rid of Mali, for now.

‘Thank you, Gale,’ she said earnestly, plopping down in one of the chairs in front of his desk. 

He blinked at her. ‘Don’t mention it, dear. Now what is this about?’

Olivia locked her hands in her lap to stop herself from fiddling with the edge of her shirt. ‘Well, it’s… To be honest it doesn’t really have anything to do with the harbor project.’

‘No? What then? Is something the matter?’

She glanced up at Arlo, noticing out of the corner of her eye that Gale did the same. Arlo clenched his jaw but didn’t return any of their looks. 

‘It’s… come to my attention,’ she started slowly, looking down to focus on Arlo’s boots as she spoke, ‘that there’s been some… misconduct… in the ranks.’

She bit the inside of her cheek. What the hell was she even saying? Misconduct in the ranks? Did that even mean anything?

‘I’m afraid you’ll have to clarify what you mean,’ Gale said carefully when she paused.

_ Of course I do. I’m spluttering nonsense. _ She took a deep breath and turned back to face Gale straight on. ‘I’ve found out that…  _ someone…  _ is manipulating and assaulting someone else in town.’

Maybe she should say it directly; tell Gale that Mali was manipulating Arlo. But it didn’t feel like her place to share that detail. She had hoped Arlo would jump in and admit it himself, but it seemed like she was on her own in this. One more glance at Arlo told her he was busy staring at what appeared to be a very interesting mark in the wooden floor.

‘Olivia,’ Gale said carefully from behind his desk, and she reluctantly turned back to look at him, her heart jumping at the soft care in his gaze. ‘That is very serious. Who is this you’re talking about? Are they a resident?’

She moistened her lips as she thought. She needed to be honest with Gale, or this would all amount to nothing. But how should she say it? What details could she give without betraying Arlo’s trust and integrity?

Apparently she took too long to answer, because Gale’s eyebrows pulled closer in a frown as he leaned forward. ‘Is this about Mali?’

She saw Arlo twitch out of the corner of her eye even as she tried to keep herself calm. Gale was staring at her intensely, like he was searching for something in her face, and it wasn’t a look she was used to seeing on the mayor.

‘Er, it’s--how--how did you know that?’ she relented quietly.

Gale let out a deep, heavy sigh and leaned back in his chair again. One hand remained on his desk, softly tapping out a rhythm with its fingers. Before he spoke, Olivia could see him glance in Arlo’s direction.

‘I take reports like this very seriously,’ he started, ‘and I appreciate that you’ve come here to speak to me about this. But I’m afraid I must ask you to support your claims with evidence before I can take any action.’

Olivia sank down in her chair, crestfallen. ‘Evidence,’ she murmured. ‘Yes. Of course.’

‘Usually, I would ask someone in the Corps to keep an eye out, but this… is a special case.’

She looked at him dumbfounded. ‘A special case?’

Gale sighed, clearly troubled by this whole matter, and it was starting to give Olivia a really bad feeling.

‘As you saw, I was in a meeting with Mali before you arrived. She wanted to share some concerns with me. In particular…’ He paused, once again glancing at Arlo, who didn’t move a muscle. ‘... a concern that certain people in Portia may be attempting to hinder her from completing her inspections.’

Olivia felt a cold shiver run up her spine.  _ So that’s what Mali was here for. _

‘Now, I’m not saying that you are lying or making anything up,’ Gale was quick to reassure, ‘but I will need some sort of evidence of the things you are accusing the inspector of.’

‘What kind of evidence?’ she murmured.

The mayor thought for a moment, letting out another sigh. ‘Well… a witness, perhaps?’

Olivia glanced up at Arlo again, and apparently Gale noticed this.

‘Speaking of,’ he said carefully, ‘is there any particular reason you accompanied Olivia here, Captain? Was it as mere support, or do you have anything to add?’

Arlo slowly lifted his gaze, but only to focus on a spot on the opposite wall. Olivia could see his jaw clench.  _ Please, say something, please… _ She knew Arlo’s words held real weight with the mayor, both because of his reputation as a noble truth teller and because Gale had definitely developed a soft spot for him during his years growing up as a teenager in Portia. So if Arlo confirmed her statement…

But he just kept staring. Just kept silent. 

‘He came with me as support,’ Olivia said at last, feeling her hopes drain away. Gale nodded, shoulders dropping in what appeared to be disappointment.

‘I see. Well, I’m truly sorry Olivia. If it was up to me, I would investigate this right away. But there are different rules at play when it comes to an ambassador of the Free Alliance government. Mali has a degree of immunity when acting in official capacity, and that protection means hard evidence is required to prosecute her according to the laws of the Alliance. As it is, there’s nothing I can do. Things would be different if we had corroborating statements from reliable sou--’

‘I can corroborate Olivia’s allegations.’

Olivia’s heart almost stopped in her chest as Arlo took a step forward. He’d let his arms slip away from his chest and fall to his sides, and as he reached the desk, he leaned forward to slap a palm onto the wooden surface, making Gale jump.

‘Would a witness account from the Captain of Portia’s Civil Corps be enough to prosecute?’ Arlo asked, voice sharp and straight to the point.

Gale’s eyes were wide as he stared up at the serious face of the other man. ‘Why, yes, I believe it would! Do you have a statement to give after all?’

Olivia held her breath out of fear that if she made a single sound, she would break the spell and make Arlo withdraw again. He seemed so assured all of a sudden, like nothing could touch or harm him.

‘I do,’ he said as he straightened, shifting his weight onto his right leg as he crossed his arms over his chest again. ‘I am not just here to support Olivia. In fact, it’s the other way around. I’m here because I’m the one who’s fallen victim to Mali’s methods.’

She was so relieved and proud she almost started crying right then and there, watching Arlo face his fear head on and acknowledge that what Mali had done to him was not okay. And when she turned her head to look at Gale, she felt a light come to life in her chest again, because it was clear the mayor was relieved to hear Arlo confirm what Olivia had said.  _ He must really be under a lot of pressure from the Alliance government... _

‘Tell me,’ he said, gaze serious as he looked up at Arlo. ‘What has she done?’

Arlo glanced at her, and she could see how difficult this was for him. Hoping he would be able to read her encouragement off her face, she sent as much strength to him with her gaze as she could. She was itching to reach forward and grab his hand, but she wouldn’t offer assistance he might not want. He knew he had her on his team; he would come to her if he needed it.

‘She’s… been manipulating me ever since the first time I met her,’ he said with much less confidence now, and Olivia realized that this might be the first time he admitted it out loud, or maybe even the first time he admitted it to himself. ‘Taking advantage of my ambition to join the Flying Pigs, just so she could...’ He drew in a deep breath through his nose. ‘... exert her power over me.’

Gale nodded slowly. ‘I’m glad you are coming forward with this, Arlo. Do you think you can tell me how it all started?’ he asked as he reached for something in a drawer to his right. It was a notepad, and he flicked it open and grabbed a pencil without once looking away from Arlo’s face.

Arlo glanced at the notepad. Olivia saw him gulp. ‘Do you want to sit?’ she asked quietly, patting the chair next to her, but he shook his head and slowly started pacing along the row of bookcases instead. He took a while before he started talking again, but when he did, his voice had regained some of its steadiness.

‘The first time I took the Flying Pigs’ entrance exam was five years ago,’ he began, running the fingers of his left hand along the spines of the books as he paced back toward them. ‘I was awestruck by everything they did back then. I’d just been a Civil Corps officer here in Portia for a year or so, but I’d been training hard even before that, just to get into the Flying Pigs guild. I met Mali the day before the tests, and she found my obsession annoying at first I think, but after I found out I’d failed the tests, she told me she could see I had potential. If only I trained harder…’

He paused when he reached the end of the bookcases for the third time, glancing in the direction of the front door before turning back toward them again. ‘Nothing happened that year. But when I came back the next year, she recognized me from before. She wanted to see me before the tests, to get an idea of what I could do. So I showed her. She said she was impressed; that she believed in me, wanted to help me get even better… and I was incredibly flattered.’

Gale was taking notes as Arlo went on, his forehead furrowing deeper and deeper. Feeling like this was going to get very intense very soon, Olivia squirmed in her chair, not sure whether to watch Arlo as he spoke or turn away out of respect. 

‘I was already so awed by her and what she could do,’ he said quietly, ‘that it didn’t take much for her to sway me further. At some point during our sparring, she let me win. I mean, there’s no chance in hell it wasn’t intentional on her part. But I didn’t realize that back then. I was so proud, maybe got a bit cocky… and I don’t know exactly what she did, but she managed to…’ He trailed off, stopping his movements as a shiver went through his body. For a long moment, he just stared into nothingness. Gale stopped taking notes, but judging by the look on his face, he knew just as well as Olivia what it was Arlo couldn’t make himself say out loud.

‘She’s twenty years older than me,’ Arlo said after what must have been at least ten seconds of silence, ‘but I was just so amazed by the fact that a Flying Pigs member wanted me.’

Out of the corner of her eye, Olivia saw how Gale started with his note taking again. She wanted to know what he was writing, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from Arlo.

‘I still failed the exam, of course. But the next year, it was the same story: I arrived in Lucien a few days early, she helped me train, and then she… seduced me. I’d recently been promoted to Captain here in Portia, and I think… I think she must have gotten off on the fact that she had a Civil Corps Captain wrapped around her little finger. In private, she kept praising me for how strong and skilled I was, wanted me to show more confidence, but then she knocked me down and ridiculed me in public. She told me she knew I could get into the guild, but that I had to really  _ want  _ it…’ 

He closed his eyes, one hand shooting out to find support against the bookcase as a wave of dizziness seemed to hit him. Olivia almost rushed over to grab him, but managed to keep herself still on her chair. When Arlo opened his eyes again, they were cloudy; weary; dejected.

‘It’s been going on for years,’ he murmured, staring as Gale wrote something down on the notepad. ‘Every time we meet, it’s the same. I… I always get this bad feeling when I see her. I haven’t been able to pinpoint why before, but…’ He paused to draw in a ragged breath. ‘She has this way of… of making my brain freeze up. Like I need to do what she wants. I need to  _ be  _ what she wants. Because if I don’t, if I’m not, I’m… worthless.’

The last word came out in a shivering whisper, and Olivia couldn’t stand it any longer; she pushed up from her chair and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing as hard as she could. He froze at first, but after a few seconds, his muscles slowly started relaxing, and then he returned the embrace. She swallowed as she felt him sag back against the bookcase, his head lowering to rest on her shoulder.

‘Screw that monster,’ she said quietly so Gale wouldn’t hear, because she wanted this to be a private conversation, only for Arlo’s ears. ‘You’re not worthless, you’re amazing. An amazing leader, fighter, friend. An amazing person. And you’re so, so important to me, and to everyone else here in Portia.’

His breathing was ragged against her neck. He squeezed her close as something tickled down across her collarbone. Was that… tears?

‘Everything will be okay,’ she whispered, slowly stroking his back in an attempt to comfort him. ‘We’ll take her down. I promise.’

They stood like that for another long moment, Arlo sniffling quietly against her skin and into her hair while she whispered soft and hopeful words into the side of his head, until he eventually pulled back, running both hands over his face to stroke away excess tears and rub the moist out of his eyes. One hand then fell to her shoulder, squeezing it gratefully as the other hand ran through his hair to stroke it back and away from his face. Then he leaned back against the bookcase and closed his eyes, as if telling the truth had taken the last bit of energy out of him. Olivia turned to face Gale, who was leaning his forehead against his palm, elbow resting on the desk as he stared down at his notes with eyes that seemed far away.

‘Is this enough?’ Olivia asked quietly. ‘Can we cut through Mali’s immunity?’ When he didn’t react, she added, ‘Gale?’

He jolted awake, sitting up straight in his chair and blinking up at her. ‘I… will contact the government of the Free Alliance right away. Even  _ attempting  _ to influence a government official of a free city is bad enough, but to keep doing it year after year… and to use such psychological and sexual manipulation… The Free Alliance government will not see through their fingers on this matter.’

Olivia nodded. ‘Mali told me herself that she’s been failing Arlo in the entrance exam for the Flying Pigs, just so she can keep him as a…’ She glanced at Arlo. ‘As a toy.’

Gale sighed deeply as he shook his head in disbelief. Lifting his pencil again, he took some more notes before leaning back in his chair and considering Arlo and Olivia for a moment. 

‘This will start up an investigation into Mali. A signed statement from you should be enough to look into certain details, Olivia, but I’m afraid Arlo might have to travel to Atara to give his oral testimony. A testimony from a government official carries a lot of weight, but secure identification is vital to its credibility. Will you be alright with this, Arlo?’

Olivia reached down to take Arlo’s hand in hers and squeeze it. His eyes fluttered open, focusing on her face in front of him. ‘Yes,’ he murmured. ‘I understand.’

Gale nodded. ‘Good. We’ll go to the bottom of this, I promise you.’

‘What about the inspections?’ Olivia asked. 

‘We do still have to go through with the inspections of our ruins,’ Gale said, ‘but I hereby relieve Arlo of his duty of accompanying the inspector. Sam and Remington are equipped to handle it on their own.’ With this, Gale furrowed his eyebrows and tried to catch Arlo’s gaze. Olivia carefully nudged his arm, prompting him to turn and meet the mayor’s eyes. ‘Take today off. That’s an order.’

Arlo gave a short nod. ‘Yes sir.’

He straightened and started toward the door. Before following him, Olivia gave the mayor a grateful smile and a nod.  _ “Thank you,”  _ she mouthed. He nodded back before opening a drawer to take out some blank sheets of paper. For his letter to the Free Alliance government, she supposed.

Content that she’d done all she could at this point, she walked after Arlo out of the building, her steps lighter than they’d been in weeks.


	18. Burns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Arlo finally catches a break.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fluff and smut galore!

A day off.

He hadn’t had a real day off in… how many months? He barely remembered how to do it. Was he supposed to be on alert if something happened? Or should he stow himself away somewhere no one could reach him?

Olivia thankfully solved his dilemma before he could think too much about it. She pressed lightly with her fingers against the small of his back to make him walk forward, then guided him across the plaza and out through the town gate before allowing herself to take his hand in hers. She led him to her workshop, gently directing him inside and closing the door behind them. Only then did she let go of him.

‘I’m so glad you did that,’ she said as soon as they were completely alone. ‘And proud. So fucking proud.’

He turned to face her, wincing slightly at the way her eyes gleamed when she looked at him. Because really, he had been way too late with his confirmation. He’d heard her struggle to convince Gale--balancing between saying too little and too much--and he hadn’t said a word. Nothing. Even as he saw how crestfallen she became, he’d stayed quiet. How was that something to be proud of?

‘I’m sorry I didn’t say anything sooner,’ he murmured, avoiding her gaze.

Olivia reached up and carefully took his head between her palms, guiding him back to look at her again. She smiled softly when their eyes met. ‘What matters is that you did say it at all. You were amazing.’

Arlo’s cheeks were starting to burn. He wondered if she could feel it in her fingers. ‘If you keep saying that, I’m going to get hubris.’

She laughed, and the joy in her voice somehow managed to relax all of his muscles at once. He closed his eyes, enjoying the moment. Maybe a day off wasn’t so bad if he got to spend it with her.

‘Are you tired?’ she asked, letting go of his cheeks to instead plant her hands on his chest. 

As soon as she said the words, he realized he was exhausted to his very core. He felt like he could sleep for a hundred years and still be tired when he woke up.

‘You could say that,’ he replied, yawning as he opened his eyes. He scanned her face through the hazy weariness he felt, and thought he could discern signs of fatigue there. ‘How about you?’

Right on cue, she yawned as well. ‘Yeah, I could use a nap.’ She paused, gaze darting over to her bedroom door, then to her couch before zipping back to his face. ‘Do you… I mean…’

Despite himself, he gave her a small smile. ‘Do I what?’

‘I… don’t want you to feel like you have to,’ she continued carefully, a crease appearing between her eyebrows. ‘But the bed is comfier than the couch, and there’s enough space for both of us. You definitely don’t have to share with me though!’

Arlo sighed softly. This woman… This tough, ballsy woman with a heart of gold was going to be the death of him.

He reached up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, taking note of the tiny little shiver she gave as his fingertips touched her skin. It didn’t seem to be an unpleasant shiver, so he then went on to cup her neck with the same hand, lifting his other one up to her chin to guide her face up toward him. The way her cheeks grew darker and her breathing became somewhat unsteady made his grip tighten just a smidge.

‘Olivia,’ he began quietly, ‘I appreciate your consideration, truly, but there is nothing you could possibly do with me that I wouldn’t want.’ As her breath hitched, he closed his eyes and leaned his head forward so his forehead met hers. ‘I want nothing more right now than to nap with you.’ 

She let out a low whimper that made him open his eyes again, wanting to find out where that interesting little sound came from, and the sight that met him did not disappoint. Her cheeks were already a dark pink, her eyes glossy as they looked up at him, and her lips were parted around a silent “ah”. The way her forehead was lightly creased made her look like she was _this close_ to begging him to kiss her, which was… something to catalogue for later. Because right now was nap time.

He let his hands fall to her hips, then bent his knees for a moment to hoist her up into his arms, sighing contentedly when she immediately wrapped her legs around him and buried her face in his neck. She wasn’t heavy by any means, but perhaps he’d miscalculated just how exhausted he was, because he found himself half staggering to her bedroom, basically falling with her into the bed after his legs knocked into its side. She yelped, then let out a surprised--and tired--giggle a second after the impact, untangling her legs from his body to scoot further in toward the wall so he could fit next to her. 

They both kicked off their shoes, and then he unzipped his jacket, struggling to get it off his arms and humming gratefully when she reached over to help him. It dropped to the floor, and Olivia immediately went on to try to tug the bed cover out from beneath the two of them. He helped, reluctantly lifting himself up to allow her to pull it out. It was worth it though, because as soon as he lay down again, she threw the covers over both of them and crept closer, resting her head on his outstretched arm and hooking a determined ankle around his calf. Arlo let out a long, satisfied groan as she pulled herself flush against him, and he realized that shit, this was exactly what he’d been wishing for earlier: cuddling down beneath the covers and forgetting that anything else existed.

‘You feel perfect,’ he mumbled into her hair, and it would be a miracle if she heard what he said.

She hummed softly in response. ‘G’night, Arlo,’ she whispered, sending a hot puff of breath against his biceps. ‘Wake me up in a week or so.’

‘Sure,’ he whispered back. ‘If I’ve come back from the dead by then.’

 

* * *

 

Arlo sighed softly as he stretched out beneath the covers. Except for some distant thuddy and scrapey sounds that he couldn’t quite make out the source of, the world around him was silent. Silent, warm and soft. 

He’d had the best nap he could remember ever having. Falling asleep next to Olivia had been… safe. Yes, he was safe. And that meant he could relax and let his mind take him away without having to worry about the real world and what was going on in it while he slept. 

He turned on his side, reaching for Olivia--and finding nothing but air and mattress. His eyes flew open as he sat up with a jolt to scan the room. No one else was there. So did that mean that she’d--

A distant thud sounded again, and this time, he could discern that it came from the kitchen. Arlo sighed and ran a hand through his hair to get it out of his face. Right. She had probably been awake for a while already. He had no idea what time it was, but it felt like he’d been asleep for a century or two.

He got up on rigid legs and staggered through the doorway, rubbing at his eyes while trying to stifle a yawn. A pleasant scent reached his nostrils and prompted him to walk toward the kitchen. Despite his clumsy steps, Olivia didn’t notice him as he walked into the room. The tap was running and she was busy filling two glasses with water, her back turned to him. She’d changed clothes after the nap, now wearing a simple top with thin straps and a short skirt. Before the thoughtful part of his brain could wake up to stop him, he sneaked up behind her, wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her neck. She yelped in surprise, one of the glasses slipping out of her hand and landing in the sink with a loud clink.

‘Shit,’ she exclaimed, covering one of his hands with hers. ‘You trying to kill me or something?’

He drew in her scent, sighing contentedly at its familiarity. ‘I woke up and you weren’t there,’ he mumbled against her skin. 

‘That’s because I’ve been making us lunch.’ She shifted in his arms so she was facing him, forcing him to lift his head and look at her. It didn’t look like she’d been awake that much longer than he had, because her hair was still sleep-mussed and her cheeks pink. She tilted her head to the side as she studied his face. ‘Slept well?’

‘Very,’ he said quietly, gaze slipping down to her lips as she moistened them with her tongue. Damn. They were pulling him in, taunting him with their rosy color and slick surface. After their nap together, it seemed like it would be so simple to just… bend his neck and cover her mouth with his… 

Olivia lifted her hand and pushed its index finger into the middle of his chest, widening the space between them. ‘Go sit on the couch. I’ll be right there.’

He let out a disappointed huff that made her smirk at him. 

‘I take it you don’t want spaghetti with hot sauce, then?’

He blinked at her. She rolled her eyes and pointed at the kitchen counter beside him. When he followed the direction of her finger, he indeed saw two plates of spaghetti with a red sauce poured on top. His stomach growled.

‘You didn’t,’ he said in disbelief.

Her smirk widened. ‘Now go before I eat them both myself.’

He was out of the room before his brain had even fully processed what she’d just said. Cursing under his breath, he sat down on her couch and started drumming impatiently with his fingers against his thighs. He hadn’t even realized he was hungry before she’d mentioned hot sauce, but now he felt like there was a black hole where his stomach used to be.

It didn’t take long before Olivia joined him, setting down a tray with the plates and glasses of water on the coffee table. She sat down next to him, her knee innocently touching his, and handed one of the plates to him. Despite his ravaging hunger, he received it gingerly, staring at it in awe as the incredible scent filled his very being. Olivia snickered, handing him a fork that he immediately used to twirl up some pasta.

The sauce was so hot it just about burned his tongue, but he didn’t care. The pasta was perfectly cooked, the taste of the sauce blooming in his mouth like sun rays peeking out through stubborn rain clouds, and then the spice… He closed his eyes and let out a low groan, half in pain, half in pleasure. It seared, but that was exactly what he needed right now.

‘Is it good?’ Olivia asked beside him. 

He opened his eyes and moaned as he rolled them back. ‘ _So_ good.’

When his gaze landed on her face again, she was blushing, eyes wide as she stared at him with her mouth agape. He couldn’t help smirking at that look, which seemed to snap her out of it.

‘I’m glad to hear it,’ she mumbled before turning to her own plate and tucking a sloppy forkful of pasta into her mouth.

After he’d reached a point where his stomach wasn’t quite as angry with him anymore, he paused to watch her chew and swallow the spicy pasta. Her eyes were glossy, and her cheeks had taken on an even deeper tint of pink now.

‘I didn’t know you were into hot food,’ he said carefully.

She reached for her glass of water and drank half of it in one go before setting it down again and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

‘I love the tastes,’ she assured him with a sniffle, ‘but the pain isn’t really my thing.’

She was about to take another bite, then paused and put it down to reach for the glass again. He grabbed her wrist to stop her.

‘Water won’t help. Do you have bread, or milk?’

She hesitated for a moment, glancing longingly at the glass. ‘Yeah, I… I think I still have the milk Emily gave me a couple of days ago.’

‘Go get it.’

He released her wrist, then watched in amusement as she shot up from the couch and hurried into the kitchen. As he tucked another neat twirl of spaghetti into his mouth, he could hear Olivia open and close the fridge, and then how she sighed in relief. Arlo chuckled, his smile widening to a grin as she walked back into the room with a bottle of milk pressed to her lips.

‘You don’t have to enjoy the same food as I do, you know.’

She shrugged and rolled her eyes. ‘I didn’t think I’d be this weak, to be frank with you.’

She sat down next to him again, her knee bumping against his just like last time. He considered her for a moment as she drank, then set his plate down on the table at the same time as she emptied the bottle. With a small sigh, she lowered it to her lap.

‘Thanks for the tip. That really worked.’

‘I’ve heard it does.’

She raised an eyebrow at him. ‘What, you never tried?’

Arlo let a full smirk pull at his lips. ‘I don’t need it.’

‘Damn smartass,’ she sighed, rolling her eyes. But then she let out a pained groan and raised her fingers to her lips. ‘Fuck, it’s starting again.’

His heart jumped in his chest as an impulse sparked to life in his brain. Before he could second-guess himself, he leaned forward and pulled her hand away. ‘Let me help you with that,’ he murmured, then lightly pressed his own fingertips against her lips. 

He heard her next breath hitch in her throat, but she didn’t pull away and didn’t tell him to get the hell out. Instead, she slowly parted her lips under his fingers, a shaky breath slipping out between them. He gulped as their gazes met. None of them had said a single word, but he didn’t feel like they needed to. The want in her eyes was clear; it asked, no, pleaded with him, and he knew exactly what for. The only question was, would it be alright to give it to her?

Her left hand landed on his knee, softly, as if asking for permission, or maybe inviting him to move forward. And her lips beneath his fingertips were so, so soft…

She let out a soft whimper, and that was enough to shatter his hesitation. His fingers slipped away only to be exchanged for his lips, just in a chaste peck at first, but then more boldly when she pressed back against him. He didn’t know if he could actually kiss her pain away, but he would damn well try. Reaching up to cup her cheeks, he touched his tongue against her bottom lip, and she parted her lips so quickly, so willingly that he couldn’t stop a moan from slipping out between his lips and into her mouth.

If he hadn’t basically just burned all his taste buds off a moment before, he might have been able to taste the remnants of hot sauce on her tongue. But she was hot in an entirely different way, and that heat only grew as she shifted beside him and climbed onto his lap, her knees framing his hips. She pressed her palms against his chest, pulling at the fabric of his t-shirt as her fingertips dug in, and his own hands went to her thighs, then slid up to grab her hips and tug her closer. She responded by pushing herself almost flat against him, forcing his head back against the backrest of the couch as she started slowly grinding her hips back and forth. Arlo groaned, which caused her to stop and pull away from his lips to search his face.

‘Are you okay?’ she breathed, and by god, she was stunning with her dark cheeks and her pupils blown wide.

‘Yes, god Olivia, don’t stop,’ he panted. ‘Please.’

He could see her eyes widen in the half second before she caught his lips again and her hips continued their movement, grinding against him in just the right way. His hands moved up beneath her tight top, his fingers flexing against the hot, silky soft skin before sliding up even higher, slowly pulling the fabric up with them as they went. But the needy whimper she let out then made him pause. Changing his plan midway through, he moved his hands back down to her hips, then kept sliding them downward until he reached the hem of the skirt, where he casually slipped his fingertips beneath the fabric. Olivia gasped against his lips as he pushed the skirt further and further up, then moved his right hand to the inside of her thigh as the thumb of his left started rubbing circles against her skin.

She left his lips and pushed up so she was just about standing on her knees, her chest level with his eyes, allowing him to reach further up along the inside of her thigh. When his fingers grazed against hot, moist fabric, she leaned her head back and moaned. Her hands landed on his shoulders and squeezed them hard.

‘Please,’ she panted.

He was too fucking aroused to play around at this point, so after using his little finger to move the fabric to the side, he ran his index and middle finger over the already soaking wet folds--letting out an amazed huff--until he found the dip he was looking for. Then he pushed up with his middle finger; up and into her, feeling her clench around him as he pushed deeper. She let out a long, drawn out moan before slowly starting to move again, riding his finger even as he shaped it into a hook and started rubbing along the front wall.

‘Fuck yes,’ she moaned, ‘you are so good at this.’

He snorted a laugh, but didn’t reply, seeing that she probably wouldn’t register anything he said right now anyway. Instead, he focused on pleasuring her as she rode him more and more decisively, adding a second finger soon after, and apparently that was the right thing to do, because the moan she let out was unlike anything he’d ever heard before.

‘God Olivia,’ he growled. ‘You have never been more attractive than you are right now.’

‘Fuck me,’ she whined, and he almost laughed again, because really, wasn’t that exactly what he was doing? ‘Harder. Please, _harder._ ’

He complied, even though it was starting to get difficult to keep to the same spot when she was grinding this wildly over him, moving her hips not only back and forth but in circles, riding his fingers like it was the last chance she’d ever have. And after just another few seconds, her moans and whimpers grew in strength until he almost started worrying someone would be able to hear her from outside, and her grip of his shoulders tightened and tightened as her insides started clenching--and then everything relaxed at the same time, and her whimpers grew so shrill and frail she sounded like she would break apart.

‘Arlo,’ she moaned as her hips started jerking, and her grinding slowed down. ‘Ah, Arlo…’

She stopped moving completely, taking a moment to pant and try to catch her breath. Arlo could only stare up at her in awe. He’d never seen Olivia this wild, this ferocious, and he _loved it._

He almost expected her to collapse and fall asleep after the intense show she’d just given him, but to his surprise, she reached down to his jeans and started unbuttoning them. His fingers twitched, drawing out another whimper from her before he could pull them out.

‘I want you inside me for real,’ she said, popping open the last button and pulling down the zipper. ‘I want you to give me everything. _Everything._ ’

‘Olivia,’ he breathed, dizzied by her command. ‘Shit. Do you have any condoms left?’

Her hands froze above the waistband of his underwear, and for a moment, they just panted together, Arlo with his head leaned back on the backrest and Olivia leaning forward above him, hair hanging like curtains around his face.

‘No,’ she whispered. 

He exhaled slowly, blinking up at her as he tried to clear his mind. Okay. That was fine. He just had to take a moment to reprogram his brain--

‘But we don’t need any.’

Arlo paused, scanning her face for signs that she might be joking, but he didn’t find any. ‘Beg your pardon?’

Her hands moved up along his torso, causing pleasant shivers to run through his body. When she reached his shoulders, she bent her neck and placed a soft kiss on the edge of his mouth. ‘I just got off my period, so the risk of me getting pregnant is basically nonexistent,’ she murmured.

She started trailing kisses up along his jaw. Arlo tried to keep his breathing in check, because the way her breath was still a little ragged as her tongue swirled on his skin made it impossible to stay clear headed.

‘You… you sure?’ he breathed, and she gave a low hum just before her kisses reached his ear and he had to moan at the sensation of her teeth and tongue around his earlobe. God damn it, he shouldn’t do this; at least _one_ of them should put a stop to this, think about the possible consequences, but _fuck,_ he was burning up at this point and why would she make something like that up in the first place?

Maybe she could feel his muscles relax, because she moved her hands back down to the waistband of his underwear again, then raised her head to look him in the eyes.

‘Okay?’ she murmured.

He swallowed as he looked up at her. She was incredibly beautiful, _especially_ when she looked at him like that. Like nothing existed but him. Like she would do anything for him. And for once, he made an effort to push away the thoughts that threatened to pull him down into the ground; thoughts about whether he really deserved to have someone look at him like he was their entire world.

‘Okay,’ he said in a trembling whisper.

She bit her lip, then slowly pulled down his underwear until she could grab hold of him. Her hand around him sent a hot jolt through his torso, squeezing all the air out of his chest in an amazed gasp, and his hands moved on their own accord to grab on to her hips as she started stroking him back and forth, then carefully guided him to the right place, moving her own underwear to the side again. His breath hitched in his throat at how absolutely delicious she felt; wet, hot, and so, so _soft._ And then she slowly lowered herself down around him, and Arlo let out a low, guttural whine when she stopped just as he’d entered her. His fingers flexed, wanting to tug her down the whole way, but no, he wouldn’t. _Fuck._

She reached up to bury her fingers in his hair, pulling his head back and keeping it in place against the backrest of the couch. Her lips were slightly parted, letting out soft little pants as she looked at him with dark eyes.

‘Arlo,’ she said quietly.

He nodded, chest already heaving with longing.

‘Keep looking into my eyes.’

He nodded again, without hesitation, because that sounded like something he could very much do. He wouldn’t mind at all to look into her eyes; he would look at her, take in her absolute beauty, for as long as she wanted him to.

Without warning, she pushed down the rest of the way, her eyelids fluttering as she gasped, and he could feel her breaths puff against his face even as he let out a strangled moan of his own. He let her be in control the first few times up and down, let her take it as slow she wanted, while he watched her scrunch her face up and whimper softly. He held her gaze, panting irregularly as he revelled in the bliss of being inside of her. The next time she lifted herself up, he squeezed her hips, holding her in place. For a second, all that existed was their intermingling breaths and the way the air between them seemed to spark as they looked into each other’s eyes. She tried sinking down onto him again, but he held her still.

‘Let me,’ he breathed, and she whined quietly in response.

He slowly flexed his hips, pushing up against her until he was once again enveloped by her soft wetness, his hands keeping her in place while he pushed in and out; softly at first, but then harder and harder. She pushed herself against his chest, and so he let go of her hips to instead wrap his arms around her, pulling her as close as he possibly could while pumping into her. Now free to move her hips however she wanted, she started rolling them back and forth, then in circles, adding to the friction in a way that made her start moaning and whimpering with every thrust. Just hearing the sounds she made--panted into the side of his head, moaned into his ear--would probably have been enough for him at this point, the orgasm building up within him fast, and he clenched his jaw as she remembered herself and pulled back slightly to look at him again, because if he let go now, he would come for sure.

She withdrew a hand from his hair to run it through her own again, mussing it perfectly and allowing the light from a nearby lamp to illuminate her gorgeous, blushing face. She rode him hard now, eagerly helping him out as best she could, and her mouth was open and letting out unrestrained moans without ever tearing her half-lidded eyes away from him. He gritted his teeth and exhaled sharply through his nose, at which her hand fell from her hair to instead caress his jaw in a surprisingly tender way. 

‘Don’t hold back,’ she panted. ‘I want you to feel good.’

‘Olivia,’ he half moaned, half whined, making her huff in amusement.

‘I do,’ she insisted breathlessly, without letting up her movements for even a second. ‘I want you to have everything good in the world. I want you to feel what it’s like to be cared for. I want to give you all of me; all I have to give, all you want.’ 

She leaned in closer to kiss him on the mouth, and he tried to kiss her back, but considering how lost he was in the feeling of being inside of her right now, he probably wasn’t much of a kisser. She didn’t give up though; she deepened the kiss, sending her tongue to play with his even as she continued to moan, and that finally snapped his last resolve and dropped his body into a state of complete, lecherous bliss. His hips jerked, his head pushing back and away from her mouth as a long groan rolled out of his throat.

Even through it all, he felt Olivia run a hand through his hair and lean forward toward his ear. ‘I love you,’ she whispered.

Arlo gasped as his hips moved almost on their own accord to push up and into her again, sending one last shivering burst of pleasure through him before all his muscles relaxed at once and he closed his eyes as he tried to catch his breath. His mind spun. _Did she… Did she just…_

‘I love you, Arlo,’ she repeated, her voice taking on a happy lilt as she attacked his face with a flurry of soft kisses. ‘I love you so much.’

Something fluttered in his chest. He opened his eyes. ‘Olivia,’ he said, barely more than a whisper.

‘Ssh,’ she replied with a headshake. ‘Don’t say anything. I don’t want you to say anything right now. Okay?’

Arlo nodded slowly. ‘Okay.’

He moved his hands to caress her naked arms, smiling as she closed her eyes and hummed appreciatively. Things might have been hopelessly shitty lately, but in this very moment, he felt like maybe he could stand up to face another day. Maybe he could even face--

They both froze as a loud, determined knock sounded at the front door not even ten feet away. After throwing a quick glance in its direction, Olivia lowered her gaze to look between the two of them. They were still fully clothed--well, almost fully--but if anyone saw them right now, even if they managed to separate themselves from each other, it would be obvious what they’d been up to.

She pulled herself away from him and stood up, barely catching her balance as she wobbled. Arlo immediately pulled up his pants all the way and zipped them closed, eyeing her naked legs beneath the skirt as she brushed her hair with her fingers. A wet trail was finding its way down the inside of her right thigh.

‘Um,’ he said intelligently.

She followed his gaze and immediately cursed below her breath, reaching down to swipe the substance off her leg with her index finger. For half a second, she seemed to consider wiping it on her skirt, but then something mischievous sparked in her eyes. Holding his gaze, she raised her finger to her mouth and licked it clean. Arlo stared, mouth dropping open and cheeks definitely taking on a dark tint of red.

‘Mm, not bad,’ she said with a cheeky smile. ‘Though next time, I think I’d like a taste straight from the source.’

He choked.

The knock sounded again, more insistently this time.

‘Go hide in the bathroom,’ she said as she walked up to the door. 

She didn’t need to tell him twice; he pushed himself off the couch and strode directly to the bathroom, shutting himself inside and leaning forward over the sink to take a few much needed breaths. What was it that he’d said? That Olivia would be the death of him? Yeah, that was starting to sound more and more likely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Low risk is still a risk. Use protection, people!


	19. Slippery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which you get fluff, smut and angst, all in one lengthy chapter! (You can thank Alien_Duck for that btw, who convinced me to not split this into two separate chapters...)

Olivia’s happy smile quickly fell away when she saw who stood waiting outside the door. ‘Mali?’

The inspector raised her gaze, tilting her head to the side and arching one of her eyebrows as she studied Olivia’s face. ‘Hello again.’

‘Hi,’ Olivia said dryly, grabbing hold of the doorframe to stop herself from doing something stupid. ‘Can I help you with something?’

Mali smiled, but it was a cold, emotionless smile. ‘No need to be so chilly with me, dear. This isn’t a social call. I came here to ask when you’ll be available to work on the lift again. Apparently Arlo was sent away by Gale on a last minute mission this morning--perhaps you heard?--but I’ll be joined by the other two Civil Corps officers in inspecting the last of the accessible ruins, so you’ll have to finish the lift on your own.’

Olivia did her best not to glance in the direction of the bathroom. The way Mali had pointed out that Arlo had been sent away on a last minute mission made it sound like she didn’t fully believe in that cover story. She silently hoped Arlo wouldn’t start flushing the tap or something, because Mali would surely guess that he was here then. The inspector was a lot of things, but slow wasn’t one of them.

‘I’ll get right to it,’ Olivia said, tapping her fingers against the doorframe. ‘Just need to freshen up and have something to eat, and then I’ll leave for the plateau.’

Mali inclined her head. ‘Good. I’ll be by later to check on your progress.’ 

She paused, looking her up and down slowly. Olivia hoped to Peach she didn’t have…  _ something  _ running down her thigh again. She resisted the impulse to close her legs, because it would just draw the inspector’s attention.

‘If you do see Arlo,’ Mali drawled, raising her gaze again, ‘tell him to come find me when he can.’

Olivia forced a smile, though she felt more like vomiting in her own mouth. ‘Sure.’

‘Much obliged.’

With that, Mali turned and left, walking leisurely toward the front gate as Olivia slowly closed the door. When she was fully separated from the inspector, she allowed herself a moment to lean back against the door and breathe. Fuck. Mali knew. She definitely knew what they’d talked to Gale about, and she might even know that Arlo was here right now. The question was, what did that mean for Arlo? 

There was no way Olivia would tell him that Mali wanted him to come find her. No way in hell. Because there was no reason why he should even talk to her again until he’d been to testify in Atara. Gale wouldn’t force him, she knew that. So why should she tell him? It would only hurt him more.

She pressed a palm against her chest, taking a couple of deep breaths to calm her racing heart. Arlo would be wondering what was taking her so long, so she’d better get back to him now; make sure that he was okay, see if he’d heard anything.

She nodded to herself, then strode up to the bathroom door and knocked energetically. ‘Arlo?’

A faint rustling sound came from inside the room. ‘Yeah. Come in.’

Biting down on her bottom lip, she pushed down the handle and pulled open the door. Arlo stood facing her, leaning casually against the sink, his left hand resting on its edge and gripping the porcelain with all five fingers. His cheeks were a little less flushed compared to a few minutes ago when she’d last seen him, and his breathing had settled into a calm state again, but there was something about his eyes. They seemed to be asking her something, but she couldn’t figure out what the question was.

‘You okay?’ she asked carefully.

Without looking away from her face, he drew in a shuddering breath, then let it out in an amused huff. His lips pulled into a crooked smile, like he wasn’t fully dedicated to it.

‘Yeah, I’m fine.’ He glanced down between them for a fraction of a second before returning to her eyes again. ‘That was Mali, wasn’t it?’

Olivia sighed as she closed the door behind her, keeping her hands on the handle. ‘Uh-huh. I need to get back to work in a little bit.’

Arlo looked away. Judging by how he zoomed in and focused on the nails on his left hand, he must find them extraordinarily intriguing all of a sudden. ‘The lift,’ he said.

‘Yes,’ she confirmed. After a short moment of hesitation, she reached over to cover his hand with hers. He blinked, but he didn’t look up at her again. ‘But I have a little while before I need to go. Do you want to…’

She trailed off, watching Arlo’s eyelids flutter over his eyes as he blinked slowly, calmly. It still didn’t feel right to put him in these situations, even though he’d told her there was nothing she could do with him that he didn’t want. She didn’t want him to feel forced to do anything.

‘Do I what?’ he asked when she didn’t continue.

‘Do you... want to take a shower with me?’ she whispered.

He finally looked at her again, sharp blue eyes fixing on to her face. After a breath or two, he smiled softly. ‘Well, you do need to clean up for work, and I’m sure there must be some hard to reach places that you will need my assistance with.’

She couldn’t decide whether to gasp or huff indignantly, so she settled for something in-between. It came out more like a surprised snort than anything else. 

‘You think I’m dirty, huh? Is that it?’

Arlo let go of the edge of the sink and took the last step up to her, slowly tilting his head to the side as he studied her face, his smile widening when she felt herself start to blush.

‘Oh yeah. And smelly too.’

‘Hey!’ she exclaimed, smacking him lightly across his shoulder. He chuckled as he leaned in toward her neck, running his nose along her jawline.

‘Mm, but it’s a good smell,’ he murmured before placing a kiss below her ear. 

Olivia shivered. She grabbed hold of his shoulders to steady herself. ‘Yet you want to wash it off?’

He pulled back, eyes dancing in amusement as he looked down at her. ‘Fine, you got me,’ he purred. ‘I really just want to get you wet and naked.’

She gasped as a pang of desire shot straight through her torso. Her fingers dug into his t-shirt, and she heard herself let out an impatient groan. ‘You smooth bastard.’

The smile had grown into a full grin now. He stepped out of her reach, to the side, and made an exaggerated gesture toward the shower as he leaned down in a deep bow. ‘After you.’

Olivia bit down a smile. He was being obnoxious, but she was happy to see him relax again. 

‘So kind of you to offer to help,’ she said sweetly, turning her back to Arlo as she sauntered up to the bathtub. She unzipped her skirt, flicked open its one button with her thumb and index finger and wiggled her hips to make the garment drop to the floor. ‘I think you’re right. I’ve gotten myself real dirty, haven’t I?’

Making sure to puff out her butt as best she could, she leaned forward and grabbed hold of the edge of the bathtub, biting down a smirk as she heard Arlo gasp softly. Then she felt the careful flutter of fingers against her right butt cheek, moving upward until they reached the edge of her underwear by her hip, where they dug in beneath the fabric and started tugging it toward him. 

‘Hm,’ Arlo said thoughtfully as he kept pulling her underwear over her butt and down her legs. ‘Yeah, these dirty little things need to go. And then…’

The underwear dropped to her ankles just as Arlo’s hands slipped in beneath her top, pushing the fabric up along her back until he found the clasp of her bra, which he unhooked easily before moving his hands to her sides and gripping her firmly enough that he could pull her up straight and tug her against his chest. She gasped softly as he smoothly pushed both the bra and her top upward, and without really thinking about it she raised her arms above her head to allow him to push her clothes all the way over her head and off. When she lowered her arms again, his hands moved down along with them and cupped her breasts in their palms, causing her to let out a small whimper. He leaned in and kissed the crook of her neck, his hair tickling against her jaw.

‘Now I just need to get you wet,’ he mumbled between kisses. When she let out an amused snort, he moved his hands so his thumbs could flick against her nipples, turning her snort into a gasp instead. She felt him flex his hips behind her, pushing himself up against her, and she was gripped by a strong need to get him just as naked as she was. 

She reached up to grab his wrists and pull them away from her, then turned around so she was facing him again. His gaze was dark and intense, but she could see an amused gleam in it. 

‘I don’t see much use in getting me wet if you’re still going to have all these clothes on,’ she remarked as she brought her hands to his waistband, letting her fingers graze against the skin just beneath the t-shirt. She watched him close his eyes as a shiver went through him.

‘You make a convincing argument,’ he said, his eyes fluttering open again.

Olivia grinned as she started pushing his t-shirt up, her hands crossing over the tight muscles on his abdomen, then his chest--where she let her little fingers tease over his nipples, drawing a breathy moan out of him--before nudging his arms up and pulling the t-shirt over his head. When it dropped to the floor, her fingers were already working on his belt buckle. She leaned in to kiss his collarbone, then his chest, feeling him draw for air beneath her kisses. His hands came up to cup her cheeks, angling her face up toward him, and then he bent his neck to cover her mouth with his. She got past the belt, flicking open the buttons on his jeans as his lips slid against hers, his tongue finding hers, and she let out an impatient moan when her hands stopped obeying her, because damn it, she wanted him naked!

Maybe he noticed her frustration, because he let go of her face and reached down to help her with the last button, then moved her hands to his hips and helped her push both jeans and underwear downward. They got caught on his thighs, so she pulled away from his kiss and crouched down in front of him to tug them down the rest of the way. When they reached his ankles, she switched her focus to what was straight ahead of her, namely his dick, licking her lips as she then bent her neck to look up at his face in a silent question. He groaned, hands falling to her shoulders. 

‘As much as I love your mouth, I’m not sure this is the right time for that.’

She pouted up at him. ‘Just a taste?’

His lips parted around a gasp, eyes darting across her face as he struggled with himself. ‘I…’

‘Please?’ she whispered, leaning forward slightly so her mouth was just by the tip of his dick.

Arlo groaned above her again. ‘Okay, okay. Fuck.  _ Yes _ .’

After licking her lips again, she flicked out her tongue, just as a tease, smiling as she heard him draw in a sharp breath. She pushed forward to take him in her mouth then, swirling her tongue around him as she reached up to grab hold by the root. He was hot and hard and tasted like skin and a little salt and  _ Arlo _ , and hm, there was another taste there that she realized belonged to her, but she didn’t really mind; it somehow made everything even sexier, and so she eagerly pushed herself forward as far as she could muster, hearing him whimper as he scrambled to tangle his fingers in her hair, holding her still.

‘Can I…?’

She hummed firmly in response, glancing up at him with what she hoped was clear confirmation in her eyes, and as a reward, she got to see his bottom lip slip in beneath his teeth in a very distracting way.

He slowly, carefully started moving his hips back and forth, in and out of her mouth, moaning when she started sucking around him as he moved. There was something so inexplicably sexy about the fact that Arlo felt safe enough to do this with her--that he trusted her enough--that she couldn’t stop herself from letting out a moan of her own. He stopped immediately.

‘You okay?’ he breathed.

‘Mm,’ she hummed, nodding carefully, then gripped his hips and nudged them back into motion.

He groaned, falling back into his slow pace, then speeding up slightly when she urged him to. The little breaths and pants he was letting out above her made her want to give him more, give him everything. She wanted him to have anything she could offer, anything he wanted from her; she wanted to love him in every way possible, make him feel good and loved and safe. And she tried to communicate that as he kept moving against her, tried to show it in her moans and the way she looked up at him, and maybe she succeeded, or maybe her mouth was just exactly right for him, because it didn’t take long until his movements became jerkier and his groans more uninhibited, and she felt hot liquid pump into her that she swallowed eagerly, causing him to whimper as her tongue swirled around him to gather it all up.

‘Shit,’ he panted, fingers gripping her harder before relaxing again, and he pulled out of her and moved his hands to her upper arms so he could pull her back up on her feet, wrapping his arms around her as he breathed raggedly next to her ear. She sighed in content, leaning her head against his chest. ‘Olivia, I… That...’ He let out an almost nervous chuckle. ‘That was more than just a taste.’

She hummed softly and squeezed him close to her. ‘Thank you.’

Arlo snorted. 

‘Er, you’re welcome?’ He kissed the top of her head, several little soft kisses all over, before gently pushing her away, hands on her shoulders. ‘Time to get you wet now.’

He leaned past her to turn on the shower, and then without any warning, he reached down to hoist her up in his arms, pulling her legs around his hips. She knew she was plenty wet already, and he probably guessed that too, but she decided to let him have his little fun and so kept her mouth shut as he stepped into the shower while holding her close to his chest. 

The spray of water had already taken on a pleasantly warm temperature, and she sighed contentedly as it streamed down over her shoulders. Arlo drew the shower curtains closed, dimming the light in their little corner of the bathroom, then pushed her the entire way through the water until the spray was focused on his back, and  _ her  _ back was pressed against the cold clinker wall. She yelped, trying to arch away, but he chuckled and held her in place.

‘Jerk,’ she spluttered, at which he leaned in and nibbled on her neck, causing her to gasp instead.

‘Somehow I don’t think you’ll call me that in a moment.’

He shifted his grip so one arm was holding her in place against him while the other moved down between them, and she let out another gasp when she realized where he was heading. She squeezed his shoulders and leaned her head back against the wall, whimpering softly as his fingers fluttered against her folds. Arlo exhaled sharply.

‘God, Liv,’ he breathed into her ear, ‘you’ve been in the shower for less than thirty seconds and you’re already soaking wet.’

She was about to groan at him for that, but then he pushed a finger inside of her and the groan turned into a moan instead. Heat flared in her body as he started to fondle her, negating the cold against her back. He nibbled her again, then brought his tongue into the equation and started trailing open-mouthed kisses up along her neck. A second finger joined his first, and his movements changed; instead of just carefully rubbing her front wall, he pushed his hand back to get his fingers at an angle, then started moving them in and out of her, pushing against the spot that just felt  _ so good. _ Her whimpers grew in strength, and her back wanted to arch again--now for a completely different reason--but he was too close, closing her in against the wall, body against body, skin against skin, and she was  _ burning up. _

Without really making a conscious decision about it, she started moving together with him, rocking her hips back and forth to get an even better angle. At some point during it all, Arlo bit into her neck and started to suck on her skin. She didn’t even care that it would probably leave a mark, because it felt amazing, and she let out a long, pleased whine to let him know that. He pulled his mouth away from her then, chuckling quietly.

‘You’re dirtier than I thought,’ he murmured by her ear before nibbling at her ear lobe. ‘But I think we’re getting there, yeah?’

He pulled back and leaned down to reach her left breast with his mouth, and then he started sucking on her nipple, causing her to yell out, because  _ holy fuck. _ Everything was hot and wet and hard and intense, and Arlo’s fingers were growing more eager inside her, pushing and rubbing and moving in a perfect rhythm, and when he let out a soft moan around her nipple, it was the final push that tipped her over the edge and sent her out of control. Her body started pulsating as her whimpers grew louder, almost desperate, and Arlo slowed down his fingers’ movements without diminishing the force of his pushes as she rode her orgasm, letting bliss wash over her in waves that slowly rippled off and out into a feeling of complete relaxation, making her sigh in contentment as he pulled to a complete stop inside her. 

He left her breast to move up and kiss her on the mouth, groaning when he no doubt tasted himself on her tongue. But she was spent and needed to catch her breath, so she pulled away after just a short moment, leaning her head against the wall again as she panted. Arlo carefully let her down on her feet, holding her in his arms while she came down from her high.

‘The sounds you make… God damn, Olivia.’

She let out a trembling chuckle against his chest. ‘I got a little loud there. Sorry.’

He huffed and flicked his fingers against her shoulder. ‘Er, no. That’s  _ not  _ what I was getting at.’

Pulling away so he could look her in the eyes, he searched her face for a moment before smiling down at her.

‘I wish there was a way to bottle up those moans and whimpers of yours and save them for a later occasion.’

‘Oh you’d like that, wouldn’t you,’ she said with a snort, turning his smile into a devilish grin.

‘I very much would.’

She playfully pushed him back into the stream of water, and he let her, closing his eyes as the first drops hit his head. She watched in fascination as the water slicked his usually unruly hair against his head, clumped his eyelashes together and formed quick little drops on his lips that slipped down along the curve and were immediately replaced by a new batch before they’d even left his skin. She raised her hands to his shoulders, then ran them down along his back, making sure that the water reached there as well, because she wanted him to be warm. Her hands came to a stop by his hips, and she must have subconsciously pulled him closer and closer, because suddenly his face was free of the drizzling water and he ran a hand over his face, then opened his eyes to look at her.

‘I thought we’d agreed you were the dirty one,’ he said, lips pulling into a half smirk, and that was the only warning she got before he tugged her back toward him and she fell against his chest as he stepped back and let the water shower down over her.

She closed her eyes, holding her breath as Arlo helped the water slick her hair back. His thumbs stroked the hair that was in her face safely behind her ears, then smoothed the rest all the way over her head until he reached her neck, which he cupped in both hands before placing a kiss on her forehead. With the rush of the shower around her, it felt almost surreal to be standing there, with Arlo, having him caress her tenderly as the water warmed her body and washed away every last trace of the stress from earlier. His hands moved down to the small of her back, and he pulled her flush against him, allowing her to lean her head against his chest while his fingers carefully kneaded her muscles. She exhaled her held breath and drew in a new lungful of air now that the water didn’t fall right in her face, and she could feel Arlo do the same.

Given the unrealistic feeling of it all, she wasn’t sure how much time had passed when Arlo gently pushed her out of the water and smiled down at her. 

‘I don’t want to keep you,’ he said. ‘Some of us have to work today.’

Olivia groaned. ‘I love my job, but today I really wish I could just stay with you.’

His lips twitched as he considered her for a moment before leaning in to kiss her. It was a soft, gentle kiss that was completely different from the kisses they’d shared a moment ago; just a loving kiss that silently told her he wished the same. When he pulled away, his gaze had turned almost calculating. 

‘I could always come with you,’ he said as he reached up to stroke his thumb along her jawline. ‘Help you finish the lift. I’d just be restless if I stayed behind anyway.’

‘Gale ordered you to take a day off,’ she reminded him slowly. 

‘And I am. Building lifts isn’t part of my usual job description.’

She rolled her eyes, but he did have a point. Arlo was used to always being busy with something or other; if she left him behind to fend for himself on his day off, there was a very real risk he wouldn’t know what to do with himself and either go crazy or decide to work despite Gale’s orders. 

‘Fine,’ she relented, rolling her eyes at how his whole face lit up. ‘You can come with me.  _ After  _ we’ve actually cleaned up and not just used the shower as an excuse to get naked.’

He nodded firmly. ‘Yes, ma’am. No more funny business.’

Olivia sighed. What a freaking goof she’d gotten her hands on.

 

* * *

‘Huh.’

Olivia bit down a smile, trying to ignore the way Arlo’s breath puffed against the side of her face as she finished soldering the wire onto the circuit board, because while she would love to just turn her head and surprise him with a kiss, this was important work that couldn’t risk being screwed with just because she wanted to screw with something else.

She could still talk, though.

‘I’ve never seen anyone so interested in simple welding work,’ she teased him. ‘And definitely not a Civil Corps Captain.’

‘Do you know many Civil Corps Captains?’

She sighed heavily. ‘I guess I don’t.’

She heard him shift behind her, and then his breath disappeared from her skin. ‘All Captains have to learn basic electronics, since most ruins have electric door mechanisms or other simple devices that may need fixing. We’re not always bringing Builders along, and sometimes things go wrong during a mission.’

‘Huh,’ she said with a frown, turning to face him now that she had finished welding. ‘So you could basically steal my job then, is that what you’re saying?’

Arlo chuckled. ‘Definitely not. And I never learned how to weld, which is why I find this especially interesting to watch.’

‘Oh.’ She glanced back at the lift controls. ‘Do you want me to teach you?’

When she looked back at him, she saw him hesitate, shifting his jaw as he considered her question.

‘That’s not necessary,’ he said at last. ‘But maybe if you could show me how it works? What you just did, I mean.’

Olivia smiled as she crouched down in front of the controls, pointing to the circuit board. ‘This isn’t particularly complicated work, and I did most of it in my workshop beforehand. But the gist of it is that I connected these components together--most are chips found in any abandoned ruin, you probably recognize these ones,’ she said, tapping a fingertip against one of the small silicon chips with “Pathea CCC” printed on top of them.

Arlo nodded, humming thoughtfully as he leaned forward, hands on his thighs and a crease forming on his forehead.

‘So I prepared the circuit board at my worktable, and then what I did here was to connect that to the industrial engine,’ she continued, patting the protective metal casing to the right of the controls. ‘The wire I welded to the circuit board is connected to the engine already.’

‘Huh,’ Arlo murmured. ‘And how does this all work? I assume there has to be some kind of connection between the engine and the actual controls?’

‘Ah, yeah, I did that already. That’s a little more complicated actually, but it builds on the same principle: connecting various electronic components to each other by wires.’

‘Interesting,’ he said as he straightened again, resting his hands by his hips.

Olivia straightened too, tilting her head to the side as she gave him an amused look. ‘Really?’

He blinked at her. ‘Of course. All of this is extremely useful stuff, and I know you’re the best Builder in Portia. The work you do is really quite impressive.’

She felt herself start to blush, and so looked away, shaking her head so her hair fell forward to hide her face. ‘I don’t know about that… Higgins is much more experienced with this kind of work. I’ve only been doing it for a few years.’

‘Makes it all the more impressive,’ he said, and even though she couldn’t see him, she heard the smile in his voice. ‘You’re a quick study. And creative, too.’

‘Alright, what is it that you want?’ she murmured, growing hotter by the second.

He laughed beside her. ‘What I want? To make sure you know how brilliant you are.’

She turned to face him again, and so she saw the moment his smile changed into an amused smirk as he registered the look on her face. His fingers flexed by his sides, as if he wanted to reach out and touch her, but instead he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned his shoulder across the support beam beside him.

‘So what is there left to do? Anything I can assist you with?’

Grateful for the distraction, she looked around to see what work remained and what could be delegated to Arlo, who didn’t have any experience in construction as far as she knew. She’d need to check that the hoister held the required weight, make sure everything was fixed in place, set up the fence...

‘Actually, yeah,’ she said as she caught sight of the pile of hardwood planks next to the staircase, seeing out of the corner of her eye how he followed her gaze. ‘Could you get started on the fence? It’s supposed to go all the way around the ground level platform. You’ll find hammer and nails in the bag over there.’

‘Sure.’

She watched him stride over to the bag and fetch the tools, then to the pile of planks, and when he came back, she quickly showed him how she’d been planning on setting it all up. The way he immediately got to work without any fuss shouldn’t have surprised her, given how hardworking he was, but she still found herself pausing to look at his hands as he started hammering the nails into the planks so quickly and surely. Maybe he had some experience after all?

‘Is building fences also something all Captains have to learn?’

He paused with the hammer above the next nail, but only for a second before getting into it again. ‘No,’ he said. ‘But I used to help my parents around the farm quite a lot.’

Olivia’s breath caught in her throat. Oh. Shit, she hadn’t meant to… 

‘It’s fine,’ he continued, almost like he’d read her thoughts. He stopped again, this time to angle his face so he could smile up at her. ‘It’s in the past.’

She swallowed. He said that, but then… No, she wouldn’t dig into it. If he said he was fine, then she’d trust that he was. She’d made enough efforts to be there for him so far that he knew he could always come to her if he needed to. So instead, she smiled back.

‘The fence will be finished in a heartbeat, then,’ she said before turning back around to face the lift, looking up toward the cliff. 

To find out if everything was firmly fixed in place, she’d have to climb up to the top somehow. If Arlo hadn’t been here, she wouldn’t have even hesitated, but he probably wouldn’t like it if she climbed up without a safety harness… Could she do it behind his back? No, he’d notice. So should she go back home and fetch the harness? That would take at least an hour, though…

‘Liv?’

‘Hm?’ she asked absent-mindedly as she pursed her lips. She might have some rope in her bag that she could use… But no harness. Would Arlo let her borrow his if she asked nicely? He probably would, seeing how he was always going on about “safety first”. She smiled to herself. For some reason, the thought of strapping his harness across her torso was really quite appealing...

‘Is this going to last?’

Olivia frowned, pulling herself back to the present. ‘Huh? Oh, the planks? I think so, but I can always make more if we run out.’

There was a long pause, and then she heard the wooden boards of the platform creak behind her. She was about to turn around to check what he was doing, but was stopped by two hands landing on her shoulders. He leaned in toward her, and just like when he’d watched her weld, she could feel his breath puff against her skin; this time by her temple.

‘I didn’t mean the planks,’ he said quietly as his thumbs started stroking circles on her skin. ‘I meant  _ this. _ ’

Her heart jumped. ‘What--what do you mean?’ she whispered, feeling her throat close as every single muscle in her body clenched in anticipation of whatever he was about to say.

He squeezed her shoulders, sighing softly. ‘Well… We did agree not to get into a relationship, right?’

He could just as well have dropped her from the ledge above, the way her stomach lurched. Everything had been so perfect since they woke up… The shared meal, the easy banter, the sex and the cuddles… But maybe she’d been too swept up in it all to see the picture clearly?

‘I… Yeah,’ she admitted, staring into the beam in front of her.  _ But it was only because you always intended to leave. I never wanted us to be apart. _ She couldn’t say it out loud though, because she didn’t know how he would react, and she didn’t want to hurt him. 

Arlo let out a long, trembling exhalation against her temple. ‘We agreed not to try.’

‘Yes,’ she whispered.

‘Olivia,’ he said, letting go of one shoulder after another as he raised his hands up and past her head to press his palms against the sturdy wooden beam, boxing her in between the beam and his chest. She exhaled sharply through her nose to keep her thoughts from derailing completely when he then leaned in even closer, his lips brushing her ear. ‘What you said earlier… Did you mean it?’

She knew what he was referring to before he’d even finished his sentence, and she had to bite down a groan at how stupid she’d been. They’d never said that anything had changed, that they were going to try, or even that things were getting serious between them… and she’d told him  _ she loved him! _ But she  _ knew  _ they couldn’t be together; damn it, she knew!

‘It was stupid,’ she breathed, hoping he’d forgive her for being so thoughtless. She kept her gaze straight forward, swallowing as she saw his fingernails dig into the wood. ‘I wasn’t thinking straight.’

He shifted behind her, his arms tensing. ‘Yeah?’

‘You’re getting into the Flying Pigs one day,’ she continued. ‘We both know it. And I’m not going to stop you from leaving. It’s your dream, Arlo.’

He didn’t respond; didn’t say a single word. For several long seconds, all she could do was stand there and listen to his slow, steady breathing by her right ear, working herself up as she tried to figure out what he was thinking. She wasn’t even wearing a jacket, and it wasn’t that warm out today, but with him this excruciatingly close to her, she could as well be on fire for how uncomfortably hot she was. She shifted on her feet in an attempt to release some pressure, and it placed her even closer to his chest, allowing her to feel his heartbeats against her back. And then she froze. Because his breathing may be calm, but his heart was  _ pounding. _

‘Arlo?’ she whispered, about to turn her head when his head lowered further and his lips brushed against her neck, drawing a surprised gasp out of her.

‘Do you love me?’ he asked, voice forceful even at the low volume he kept to.

Her hands shot out almost automatically to steady her against the support beam as a wave of dizziness washed over her; they landed right between his, her little fingers touching his thumbs, and she half expected him to move them away, but instead, they lifted to hook themselves around her little fingers.

‘Do you?’ he asked again, and now she could hear his breathing was speeding up to synch with his heartbeats.

‘I--’

‘Because if you do,’ he continued, almost in a gasp as his heart thundered on against her back, ‘then to hell with the Flying Pigs. To hell with everything!’

She choked down the shocked laugh that wanted to bubble up, because that, that… He couldn’t mean that, could he?

‘If you love me, then that’s the only thing I need,’ Arlo half-growled against her shoulder. ‘I don’t need anything else. I don’t need to get into the Flying Pigs. I don’t need to be an adventurer. Hell, I don’t even need to be Captain, Liv, I just…’ He exhaled sharply. ‘I just need you.’

‘No,’ she gasped out, ‘stop.’ 

He jerked his head up, but she didn’t give him a chance to respond.

‘That’s not what I want, Arlo,’ she continued, her voice coming out a tiny bit steadier now as she pulled her hands away from his on the beam. ‘If I’d wanted you to give up on your dreams, do you really think I would’ve been so reluctant to try to make this work?’

He didn’t move, didn’t say a word; barely even breathed as she fell silent. She wanted to turn around, to see his face, but she was worried that she’d drop her words if she did, so she forced herself to keep facing forward.

‘The very reason I said I wouldn’t try was because I  _ want  _ you to follow your dreams. If you gave them up for me now, I…’ She drew in a trembling breath. ‘... I’m not sure I’d be able to live with that.’

His hands slowly slipped downwards as she felt him slump slightly, the side of his head grazing hers. Then he let out a long, shuddering sigh.

‘To be honest,’ he murmured, ‘I’m not sure I even want to join the guild anymore. After everything with…’ He trailed off, paused, then started again. ‘It’s just a childhood dream, anyway. Something to keep me fighting through the downs and lows.’

She bit down into her bottom lip as she stared blindly at Arlo’s hands in front of her. If what he was saying was true, it made sense, but she didn’t know if she could trust him to know what he wanted right now; maybe he was still affected by the whole thing with Mali? It was just this morning that he’d been forced to face his demons for the first time… And then everything they’d done after that… It wouldn’t be strange if he was too enveloped in the shimmer of it all to see clearly.

‘You don’t believe me,’ Arlo said, lowering his voice further until it was barely more than a wisp of air against her cheek. ‘But that’s fine. As long as you believe me when I say that I love you, and that if you feel the same, I will never stop fighting for you.’

Olivia gasped, letting go of the beam to grab hold of his upper arms. ‘Arlo--’

‘How was your urgent mission, Captain?’

She’d barely registered whom the new voice belonged to when Arlo jerked back like he’d been shot, pushing her forward and away from him so hard that she completely lost her balance and half stumbled, half fell forward past the wooden beam and toward the platform, and if she hadn’t been an okay fighter with fairly good reflexes and regained her senses quickly enough to tuck into a dodge roll, she might have slammed her face right into the metal support on the side. 

When the world stopped spinning and she had focused her gaze again, she looked up to see Arlo stare down at her in gut-wrenching shock, arms still pushed out in front of him, frozen in mid-air. And behind him, just a few paces away, stood Mali. She was leaning against the first pole of the fence Arlo had started on, her face colder than anything Olivia could ever remember seeing on a living, breathing person with an actual, blood-pumping heart.

Olivia looked back at Arlo, swallowing hard as she tried not to think about what had just happened. Because while she was shaken that he’d pushed her away like that just because he heard Mali’s voice, a part of her understood that he was probably ten times more horrified over what he’d done. And Mali was  _ right there, _ drilling holes into Olivia’s face as she waited for Arlo to answer, so if he was too frozen to speak up,  _ she  _ had to suck it up and do it for him, otherwise this might turn to shit real soon. Arlo didn’t even know Gale had used an urgent mission as an excuse for his day off.  _ Fuck, why didn’t I tell him that in the shower?!  _ She knew why, of course, but she couldn’t let herself think about that right now.

‘He just got here,’ she heard herself choke out. ‘I saw him walk past and so I asked him to help me with the fence, so I’d finish sooner.’

Like a gift from the Light, Arlo’s face softened slightly as he blinked at her, forehead slowly creasing. Then, as easily as ever, his impassive mask slipped on and he turned to face Mali like nothing had happened. 

‘The mission went according to plan,’ he said as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned his shoulder against the beam. ‘How about yours?’

Olivia allowed herself a relieved exhalation as Mali’s eyes darted over to him instead of studying her where she sat on the platform. The inspector let a smirk tug at her lips, then went into the details of her trip to the marsh ruins, which had apparently been uneventful, which was why she was back so soon.

But then Olivia didn’t register the last bit of her report, because her gaze was drawn to the movement at the crest of the hillside past the pond. Two figures on horseback were walking--no,  _ galloping-- _ toward them, and as they came closer, the loud clapping of their hooves became loud enough that both Mali and Arlo turned to the sound.

Sam and Remy tugged the reins of their horses back to pull them to a brusque stop right before they galloped straight into the construction. As Remy’s eyes darted from Olivia on the floor, to Arlo by the beam, to Mali still leaning against the fence pole, Sam locked gazes with Arlo straight away, panting slightly as she said, ‘Gale needs you, right now.’

Arlo turned his head to give Olivia a hesitant look. She pushed herself up on her feet and walked closer, opening her mouth to ask Sam if something had happened, but then she saw the intense look in the officer’s eyes, and shut it again. Swallowing, she glanced at Arlo, who glanced back, his eyes unsure and lips tightly pressed together into a thin line. This  _ had  _ to be about Mali, or they would give more details, surely?

‘It’s urgent,’ Sam clarified between clenched teeth, eyeing Mali, which confirmed Olivia’s suspicion. 

She nudged Arlo’s arm, at which he took a shuddering breath before pushing off the beam to walk toward Sam and Remy, tensing visibly as he passed Mali by the stairs. Sam extended a hand to him, which he grabbed and used to pull himself up behind her on Teddy’s back. 

‘Anything I can do to help?’ Mali asked calmly as Sam and Remy started steering their horses back around.

‘Not at the moment,’ Remy replied. ‘If you pardon, inspector, this is sensitive Portia business. If it develops, we might need your services at a later point in time, however.’

Mali arched an eyebrow. ‘Alright then.’ 

She glanced back at Olivia, who forced a tight smile before throwing Arlo a look. He was staring into Sam’s back; his impassive mask had cracked slightly and allowed some emotion to shine through, and she didn’t like at all how forlorn and confused he looked. She wished he would have looked at her so she could send him some strength through her gaze, but he wouldn’t even blink, wouldn’t even glance in her direction.

And then it was too late, because the entirety of Portia’s Civil Corps team galloped away, leaving Olivia with a thick lump in her throat and a malicious inspector studying her every muscle twitch as she tried not to show just how shaken she was.

‘Well,’ Mali said dryly. ‘Arlo’s certainly popular today, isn’t he?’

Olivia tried to swallow down the lump, because this wasn’t the time to show weakness. She could do that later--at home, shut inside her workshop.

‘He  _ is  _ the Captain,’ she said, and felt a tiny smidge of relief at how normal she managed to sound.

Mali scoffed, but then she gave an amused smile as she gazed toward the disappearing figures on horseback. ‘Yes, I suppose he is.’


	20. Trust Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Olivia gets to hang out with Mali...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See end of this A/N for TW.  
> \---
> 
> Quick recap: In the last chapter, Arlo's and Olivia's nice day off took an abrupt turn when Mali showed up to pester them. And when Remy and Sam then showed up, Arlo was torn away, leaving Olivia alone with Mali.
> 
> I know over a month has passed since the last chapter, but don't you worry - I'm still not abandoning this fic. We have a few more chapters to go! ^_^
> 
> Thank you for your comments and kudos, I really appreciate them <3
> 
>  
> 
> SPOILERS (TW) AHEAD.  
> \----
> 
>  
> 
> [TW: Heights, attempted murder]
> 
>  
> 
> \---

Arlo stared into the hot pink of Sam’s jacket, trying to process what had just happened as the wind rushed past on his sides. Mali had showed up at the absolute worst moment imaginable, and his gut reaction had been to… to shove Olivia away from him. He’d known as soon as he’d regained control of his muscles that he’d made a big mistake. And then the look in Olivia’s eyes as she stared up at him from the floor of the platform… Followed by Mali’s smug smile, Sam and Remy’s insistence that he needed to come with them, and…

He clenched the jacket harder in his hands, drawing in a trembling breath as he realized what he’d done.

‘Sam,’ he breathed, but of course she couldn’t hear him, so he swallowed and raised his voice. ‘Sam.’

She glanced over her shoulder but didn’t respond. They were nearing the Western town gate now, and when he looked to his right, he could see Olivia’s workshop coming up. It was empty and motionless, frozen in time without its owner.

‘Sam,’ he tried again, more insistently this time, but she just shook her head.

She slowed Teddy to a trot as they came into town, then pulled him to a complete stop outside the Town Hall. Arlo let go of her, allowing her to dismount before he scooted forward to take the reins in his hands. But before he could turn Teddy around, Sam’s hand shot out to grab the bridle and stop him. Her gaze nailed him in place as Teddy snorted and kicked one of his front hooves into the ground in dismay.

‘What are you doing?’ she asked, and her normally laid-back tone of voice was exchanged for a sharpness he knew was reserved solely for when he or Remy did things she considered either dumb or pointlessly reckless. But this wasn’t one of those moments. This was neither dumb nor pointless, and if she couldn’t see that, then he wasn’t sure there was even a point in trying to explain it to her.

‘I need to go back,’ he gritted out anyway. ‘I can’t leave her with Mali.’

Because if Mali had seen him and Olivia get close—had seen him lean in close and press his cheek against hers, touch his lips against her neck—then that might put Liv in danger. Mali was strong and decisive; who knew how far she would go to get what she wanted? And now he’d gone and angered her. What if she’d figured out that they’d told Gale? What if the only reason she came to the lift was to get revenge? What if—

‘Olivia can take care of herself,’ Sam said in a low voice. ‘You need to talk to Gale, right now. Come on.’

She reached for his arm, but he jerked it back. ‘You don’t understand! Mali is—’

‘I _know,_ ’ Sam cut him off in a half-growl. ‘That’s why we’re here.’

Arlo paused, staring at her. Her gaze was intense as she stared back into his eyes, her mouth pulled into a thin line and her body language rigid. Did she… know about…?

‘Boss,’ Remy said, coming up behind Sam. ‘Gale needs you, urgently. I’ll ride back and check on Liv while you go and talk to him. Okay?’

Arlo’s gaze darted from him to Sam, then back again. If anyone was equipped to handle Mali, it would be Remy. He let out a sharp breath. ‘Okay.’

He let go of the reins and dismounted, taking a moment to breathe and adjust the cuffs of his jacket before starting toward the stairs. Sam followed close behind and placed a hand on his shoulder as his own fell to rest on the door knob. He glanced back at her, brain freezing at the frown she gave.

‘We’ve got your back, Arlo,’ she said quietly. ‘Always.’

He searched her face, wondering how much she knew. Would Gale have told her? Her and Remy? Or was this about something else completely? He swallowed, then gave her a short nod, at which she pulled her hand back.

‘I’ll wait out here. Good luck.’

Arlo faced back forward, turning the right knob and pulling the door open, then stepping into the warmth of the Mayor’s office. Gale was standing by his desk, rifling through papers in avid search of something. He looked up when the door closed.

‘Arlo!’ he exclaimed, relief flooding his face. ‘I’m glad they were able to find you so quickly. Come here, will you?’

Arlo strode over to the desk, eyes scanning the documents spread on top of it. Some of them were marked with sigils; not only Portia’s own official city stamp, but also that of the Alliance government. Those documents looked old and worn though, unlike a few unmarked ones which had been scribbled in the rushed handwriting of the Mayor himself. As Arlo watched, Gale gathered some of the handwritten ones into his hands, folded them in half and stuck them in an official envelope. He opened a drawer, reached inside and pulled out what seemed like some kind of ticket, which he tucked into the same envelope together with one of the older documents that had both Portia’s and the Alliance’s stamps. Then he closed the envelope and held it out to Arlo, who stared down at it in confusion.

‘What’s… What’s all this for?’

‘These are all the documents you’ll need to travel quickly and safely to Atara as well as prove your identity and official function here in Portia. It’s of utmost importance that you keep these close to your person at all times.’

‘Okay, but…’ Arlo gingerly received the envelope, searching the Mayor’s face for some kind of hint of what was going on. ‘What’s this about?’

Gale shook his head, then looked up at him with serious eyes. ‘There has been a change of plans.’

* * *

 

Olivia stared up toward the edge of the cliff above, trying to concentrate on her work and figure out how to go about the next step on the lift, but what usually came effortlessly to her now managed to stay just out of reach as she grappled within her mind for a solution. She wasn’t normally this easily distracted, and she couldn’t remember a moment she’d been more desperate to be able to focus on something—but if she was being honest with herself, if there was ever a valid reason to be distracted, this would have to be it.

A shiver ran up along her back, warning her of Mali’s looming presence. She resisted the urge to turn her head as a shadow fell over her shoulder.

‘That’s a steep climb,’ the inspector said in a light tone that didn’t fool Olivia for even a second. ‘You’re not going to attempt that without a safety harness, are you?’

Olivia swallowed. That’s exactly what she was considering. This lift needed to be finished today, preferably sooner rather than later so she wouldn’t have to spend any more time with Mali. But she didn’t really have the equipment she needed to keep herself suspended while she worked on securing the frame of the lift to the cliffside. She was fairly certain she’d be able to climb up pretty easily, but to then hold on to the wall while working her tools one-handed? That seemed a bit too risky even for her. But for some reason, bringing a harness hadn’t been at the forefront of her mind when she left her workshop together with Arlo earlier...

‘I didn’t bring one,’ she admitted, keeping her voice level.

Mali tsked behind her. ‘Happens to the best of us.’

The shadow went away as Mali left her again, and she let out a breath she hadn’t been aware of holding while she heard the inspector walk away and start to rustle with something. Olivia turned reluctantly to see her dig around in the bag she’d brought from the workshop. She was about to call out for her to stop, because it just didn’t feel right to have Mali rummage through her things, but then the other woman fished out a long nylon rope. She looked up at Olivia, letting her gaze run down along her body in a way that made Olivia squirm in discomfort. But she stopped as she reached her hips. Standing up, she bundled up the rope in her hands and smiled. 

‘I think we can improvise something with this rope.’

She held it out to her, but after Olivia had simply been standing there staring at it for a few seconds, she sighed and walked up to her, measuring out several arm-lengths of rope as she went. Olivia took a step back. _Oh no, don’t you dare touch me_ —

But the inspector was quick and nimble, and with a smooth and well-practiced movement, she looped the rope around Olivia’s waist, then tugged her closer. Olivia let out a surprised yelp, causing Mali to smirk as she tied a quick bowline knot to one end of the rope, then pulled the other end through its loop. She wrapped the rope once more around her back, then through the loop again, and then she cinched it down so it tightened around her hips.

Olivia clenched her jaw, silently accepting her fate as Mali went on to make more bowlines and wrap the rope around both of her legs before making one last tug to check its sturdiness. Then she stepped back to admire her work.

‘This will work just fine,’ she said, a smile growing on her lips as she nodded to herself. Her gaze left Olivia to instead dart around the back of the platform for a moment before stilling. ‘Ah, yes, I thought I saw some more rope lying around.’

As Mali went past her and disappeared behind her back, Olivia tentatively reached down to test the sturdiness of the makeshift harness herself. It seemed safe enough, but then Mali was the expert here. She could probably tie knots that appeared sturdy but that fell apart at the perfect moment, sending Olivia falling toward a certain death…

But then, what would Mali gain from killing her? Yes, she’d get rid of one of the supposedly few people who knew her true colors, but it seemed like an extreme measure even for her. She’d need to come up with an excuse and a way to make it look like an accident, and even then, neither Gale nor Arlo would ever believe her. No, she wouldn’t try to kill her.

Olivia took a deep breath. _I sorely hope I’m right about that,_ she thought as she turned around just in time to see the inspector coming toward her with another rope in her hands and a grin on her face that made Olivia want to wince. If Mali didn’t intend on killing her, then why was she so eager?

‘Here,’ Mali said as she reached out to tie the new rope to the front of the harness. ‘This will work great.’

‘Why would I trust you?’

Mali paused with her hands still on the rope. She raised her gaze, and in the moment that their eyes met, her grin was nowhere to be seen. Olivia swallowed. She wasn’t sure where the sudden spark of bravery had come from, but it already seemed like it had been a horrible idea.

The look in Mali’s eyes wasn’t cold per se—it would be more fitting to describe it as calculating—but it gave Olivia shivers nonetheless. When the inspector sighed and shook her head, it did nothing to reassure her.

‘Oh, Olivia,’ Mali said before tsking at her. ‘You really think I’m out to get you, don’t you? Let me assure you that I have no interest whatsoever in having you fall to your death—at least not before the lift is completely finished.’

She smiled, probably finding her tasteless joke funny, but Olivia just wanted to barf.

‘And speaking of,’ Mali added as she did a final tug on the rope, ‘let’s finish this so we can both get back to our respective lives, hm?’

With a smile that could only be described as patronizing, she made a sweeping arm gesture in the direction of the lift. Olivia followed her with her eyes as she then moved to lean against one of its support beams, crossing her arms over her chest as she waited.

Olivia knew she was standing at a crossroad. Did she do as Mali said and climbed up to secure the lift to the rock wall, or did she back away and postpone it for another day? She’d already pretty much established Mali wasn’t out to kill her, and if she postponed the last bit of her work, that would mean less time to work on the harbor and less time to spend with Arlo before he’d have to leave for Atara, plus quite possibly _more_ time with Mali.

She sighed quietly as she moved over to her bag and bent down to pull out the pair of gloves she had made herself specifically for climbing; they were tight and sturdy, and the fingers had been sewn with a special combination of fiber cloth and sea urchin skin to give them a better grip. A box with special sturdy nails and her trusted Builder’s hammer were brought along too, then tucked in her belt before she straightened again.

Keeping her gaze straight ahead in an attempt to ignore the inspector’s presence, Olivia marched up to the lift, then past it to reach the rock wall in the back. She cursed to herself as she put the gloves on, searching with her gaze for the best place to start climbing. She’d need to climb all the way to the top so she could sling the rope over the connecting beam between the two sides of the lift, and while she did that, her makeshift safety harness wouldn’t be of much use. Paradoxically, she felt safer climbing without it than with having Mali on the other end of the rope, but she knew she’d need to do both.

 _Better get to it,_ she thought with another sigh, then started to climb.

She’d gotten a whole lot better at this since she first moved to Portia. Between fetching those hard-to-get ores in the Abandoned ruins and finding her way around old broken bridges and ladders in the Hazardous ones, she’d eventually learned—admittedly with some advice from Arlo—how to make her way up a rocky wall both safely and quickly. She’d come to find that climbing was a lot less about sheer power than she’d expected and much more about technique; mostly, surprisingly enough, about how she used her feet. In the beginning, she’d tried to pull herself up with her arms, but that had just tired her out within a few minutes. Then the good Captain had told her to think of it as climbing a ladder: _‘You don’t pull yourself up,’_ he’d said; _’you step up, and use your arms and hands for balance.’_

That had been early on in their friendship—maybe even before she’d go so far as to call them friends. He’d simply seen her struggle and offered some advice.

Olivia found herself smiling fondly as she scaled the wall, before she remembered where she was and with whom. She wasn’t here with Arlo right now; who knew where Sam and Remy had taken him earlier and where he was at the moment? But she couldn’t let herself think about that right now. She had important work to finish, and losing her focus while holding on to a wall ten feet above the ground wouldn’t get her anywhere but possibly down, quickly and painfully.

She finished the rest of the climb, then threw the rope over the connecting beam at the top, watching cautiously over her shoulder as Mali grabbed the other end and made a thumbs up.

‘Tell me what you need me to do,’ she shouted from below.

Olivia couldn’t help the shiver that ran through her. ‘Give me some slack while I get into position, then apply more tension when I say so.’

‘Got it!’

She quickly scouted out the first place she’d need to secure the lift in; it would be best to start somewhere in the middle on both beams, to take it slowly and avoid putting too much pressure on the first nails. Making her way over to the left side of the lift, then climbing downward so she was about halfway, she called for Mali to keep the rope taut, then tentatively let go with her hands, letting out a relieved breath when the rope and harness held and she didn’t immediately fall to her death. Alright then, so far so good. Now all that was left was to do some hammering.

The work went smoothly, causing Olivia to relax more and more. This was serious business; how could she have thought that Mali would actually try to cold-bloodedly murder her? The inspector was a horrible human being and a manipulative witch, but that didn’t mean she would commit just any heinous crime.

‘How are things going up there?’ Mali called when Olivia was on her very last couple of nails, up at the top of the lift again.

‘Fine,’ she called back around the nail she held between her teeth. She finished hammering in the one she was on, then took the nail from her mouth next. ‘This is the last one.’

‘Oh, good!’

Olivia let out a long, relieved sigh as she secured the hammer to her belt again. She couldn’t wait to get back down again and get as far away from Mali as possible. Finishing the lift felt more relieving to her than she’d expected, but now she was already getting antsy to find out where Arlo had gone to and whether he was okay. One problem exchanged for another one. Well, at least Mali had behaved.

She turned to look at the inspector over her shoulder. ‘Okay, you can—aagh!’

A sharp tug on the rope tore her hands away from their loose grip on the wall, and when it then went slack, Olivia scrambled for balance as she tried to get herself back to safety; but she was already falling backward with no way to right herself, and as adrenaline filled her to the brim, the world around her slowed down, allowing her to see the rock wall get farther and farther away from her even as she had no way of getting back to it. She closed her eyes, preparing herself for the pain of slamming back first into the ground—but instead, she was jerked to a stop as the rope was pulled taut again. Letting out a surprised grunt, she opened her eyes, immediately starting to flail with her arms when she realized she was suspended mid-air, but finding nothing to grab on to.

‘Mali!’ she shouted breathlessly, heart hammering in her chest.

‘Oh, I’m _so_ sorry,’ was the dry response from the ground. ‘Did my hands slip?’

All the old alarm bells went off at the same time in Olivia’s brain. She gasped for air, trying not to look down but failing miserably and feeling her head spin when she saw that she was still dangerously far up. _She’s going to kill me. She’s actually going to kill me!_

‘Mali,’ she called again, ‘please, you don’t have to do this!’

Even when she tried to stop flailing, she kept spinning uncontrollably in the air, giving her no chance to orient herself and quickly making her more and more nauseous.

There was a low chuckle from below. ‘You’re not so tough when you don’t have anything to stand on, are you, Builder? When you’re at someone else’s mercy for a change?’

‘Please!’ she tried again, but it came out mostly like a panicked wheeze as her chest started to constrict in fear. The spinning didn’t stop, and so she closed her eyes in an attempt to get rid of some of the nausea, but it only seemed to make it worse.

‘You’ve been playing the part of the white knight for our dear Captain, haven’t you?’ Mali went on in that same dry voice, though now it had a clear sprinkle of amusement as well. ‘You make it seem like nothing can break you. But when it comes down to it, it’s clearly just an act.’

The rope went slack again, causing Olivia to scream out as she fell freely several feet before being jerked to a stop a second time. Her stomach protested, bile shooting up through her throat, but she swallowed it down automatically before gasping for air again. Even though her eyes were open, she could barely see, and she wasn’t sure whether it was because she was getting so dizzy or because of the tears that were starting to push their way into her eyes.

‘Yes!’ she yelled in hope that it would be what Mali wanted. ‘Yes, it’s just an act! _It’s an act!!!_ ’

‘What did you and Arlo tell Gale?’ Mali asked calmly. ‘What does the Mayor know?’

Olivia sniffed and gritted her teeth. It was one thing to expose herself, but to hang Arlo out to dry? _But she already knows; she must know._

‘I could easily make this look like an accident,’ Mali said.

‘No one would believe you,’ Olivia blurted out in panic. ‘Not Arlo, and not Gale!’

‘Oh, so you _did_ tell Gale then, didn’t you?’

Olivia’s whole body filled with dread. Had she just made a horrible, horrible mistake? Would Mali—

‘Now let me ask you something, Olivia,’ the inspector said in a silky voice. ‘If you’ve already told Gale… Then what do I have to lose?’

She let go of the rope again, and Olivia screamed at the top of her lungs as she fell and fell and fell, the ground closing in rapidly below her, but then with what couldn’t be more than a few feet left, the rope pulled taut, pushing all the air out of her lungs with the force.

‘Olivia!’

She choked on her next breath, so relieved was she to hear the voice of someone other than Mali. Someone slowly lowered her the rest of the way to the ground, but her legs were so weak she collapsed instantly, letting herself drop on all fours and then crawl down into fetal position as she let the rough wooden planks of the lift’s platform against her cheek reassure her that she wasn’t hanging in the air anymore. Seconds later, a hand landed on her upper arm, carefully turning her over on her back. Her head was still spinning, but as the world started to still, she realized it was Remington who was staring down at her with worry lining his eyes.

‘Are you alright?’

She opened her mouth to answer, but Mali beat her to it.

‘I feel horrible about this,’ she said, her voice filled with regret. ‘I lost my grip on the rope, and then the force was too strong for me to be able to pull it taut again. If you hadn’t shown up, officer—oh god, I should’ve worn my gloves, this would never have happened—'

‘I’ll need to bring you in for a report later,’ Remy said, throwing a look over his shoulder. ‘But right now, I need to make sure Olivia is alright.’

‘Yes, of course, of course!’

He turned back to Olivia, and she scrambled to grab the front of his jacket, watching as he widened his eyes in response. ‘Remy,’ she wheezed. ‘Get me away from here. _Please._ ’

His eyebrows pulled together in a frown, his lips tightening. ‘Can you walk?’

She swallowed and shook her head. Even without even trying to, she knew her legs would be too wobbly to be of much use right now.

Remington nodded. ‘Right. Then I’ll carry you over to Arrow.’ He paused, gaze quickly scanning over her body. ‘Just gotta take the harness off first. Okay?’

‘Okay,’ she whispered.

She felt him tug at the rope, untying the knots one by one until everything fell loosely to the ground. Then he wrapped one arm around her back, the other around her legs below the knees, and stood up, hoisting her up close to his chest as he started to walk. Olivia closed her eyes and dug her face into his jacket, knowing that she’d break if she saw Mali right now. She didn’t want to be this weak in front of her, but as long as she didn’t at least cry, maybe she could stand to face her another day.

She zoned out, faintly hearing Remy and Mali exchange words before he helped her up on Arrow’s back and sat up behind her, pulling her close to his chest as they started to ride away. Only when they were more than halfway to town and Mali was nowhere in sight did she allow herself to let go. She choked out a sob, letting the tears flow freely as the sheer terror of what she’d just gone through slammed into her.

‘She tried to kill me,’ she croaked out.

‘Sorry, what was that?’ he asked, leaning forward so he could hear better.

She sniffed and threw her arms around herself. ‘Mali tried to kill me.’

There was a pause as he took in what she said. Then his grip tightened around her.

‘You’re safe now,’ he said quietly, and somehow that just made her cry harder. ‘You can tell me what happened later, but right now I need you to try to relax and trust me. I won’t let anything happen to you.’

She drew in a couple of trembling breaths as she tried to calm herself down. ‘O-okay.’

They were almost by the Western gate now, and Remington made Arrow slow down into a trot as they neared her workshop, clearly intending to bring her home. But she couldn’t go home now. She couldn’t, not with everything that was going on. She needed to check on Arlo, and she needed to tell him what had happened. Everything would be okay if she could just see Arlo. If she could just see him, feel that he was alive and well, know that they were both safe... That was all she wanted.

‘Can you bring me to Arlo?’ she asked in a shaky voice, and immediately felt Remington tense behind her.

‘I’m… sorry, but that’s not possible.’

‘What?’ she murmured, turning sideways so she could look at him over her shoulder. She had to blink away her tears to see the concerned expression on his face. ‘What’s going on?’

He pursed his lips and looked away from her, staring straight ahead instead. She waited for him to answer, but he just stayed silent. She was about to press further, but stopped herself; maybe Gale had told Remington what was going on with Mali, but she wanted to be careful not to reveal any of her own knowledge in case he didn’t know the whole story. She wouldn’t place Arlo in a difficult position with his colleagues if she could avoid it.

‘Where is he?’ she asked instead.

‘I’m truly sorry, Olivia, but I can’t tell you that,’ Remy said quietly, shaking his head. ‘It’s classified information.’

She drew for air. ‘Alright. I get it,’ she said, turning forward again just as Remy pulled Arrow to a stop outside her gate. ‘Please take me to the Town Hall, then. I need to talk to the Mayor.’

Remy was clearly reluctant about that request. ‘Are you sure? Maybe you should rest for a while first? I’ll stay close by, if you want.’

He squeezed her close to him, seemingly subconsciously. _He’s really caring,_ she thought even as she tried not to relax too much into him. _Is he like this with everyone, or is it just because I’m close to his friend?_ Or maybe it was because she’d just been crying her heart out in his arms, which… would make sense, if that was the case.

‘I don’t think I can rest before I’ve talked to Gale,’ she insisted softly, because she really was grateful to Remy for taking care of her, but she needed to know that Arlo was okay.

He sighed behind her. ‘Okay then. I’ll take you to the Mayor. But I’ll wait outside while you talk to him, and then I’m going to bring you home so you can rest. Deal?’

Olivia nodded, relaxing when he got Arrow to move forward again. ‘Deal.’

As soon as they were outside the Town Hall, she tried to get off, only to stumble and almost fall on her face. Remy quickly caught her around the waist and steadied her, giving her another concerned look as she blinked up at him in a daze.

‘You sure about this?’

‘Yes,’ she said, allowing herself a moment to breathe before stepping out of his grip, exhaling in relief when her legs obeyed her this time. They were a little wobbly, but she wouldn’t have to walk far.

‘Okay,’ he said cautiously as she made her way up the stairs. ‘I’ll be here.’

She gave him a grateful nod before turning to the doors and pulling them open, too impatient to even knock. The room was empty save for the Mayor though, who looked up with raised eyebrows when she strode inside. His face relaxed when he saw who it was, then turned cautious as she didn’t stop until she was all the way over to his desk, where she leaned in and slapped her palms onto the wooden surface.

‘Where is he?’ she asked, holding his gaze steady. She wasn’t going to leave without an answer.

Gale leaned back in his chair with a sigh. He considered Olivia for a while, then seemed to decide that there was no risk in telling her the truth.

‘Arlo is on a long-haul bus,’ he said, ‘heading for Atara.’

He could just as well have slapped her. ‘He… what?’ she whispered. Arlo was gone? Already? Just like that, he’d left, without even telling her?

‘You have to understand,’ he hurried to continue, ‘this was not something he was particularly happy about. Were it up to him, he would have certainly preferred more time to prepare and to say goodbye. But for every minute he stayed here, we risked Mali finding out what was going on and taking her plane to get to Atara before him. And while I’ve managed to get Arlo a hearing with the Council, we know Mali has a certain… way with words that could twist things in her favor if she got there first.’

Olivia dug her nails into the desk as a horrible realization hit her. Thanks to her, Mali knew. Mali knew that they’d told Gale, and if she found out that Arlo had left…

‘What did you tell Sam and Remy? And what are you going to tell Mali?’

‘Sam and Remington know that Mali has attempted to coerce Arlo, but not in what way she did so. I told them to keep this quiet for now, and I have no reason to doubt that they will. But yes, Mali will ask where Arlo went. And I already have a plausible explanation to give her. You don’t have to worry about any of this, Olivia; I have everything under control.’

She straightened and ran a shaky hand through her hair. Yeah, Sam and Remy wouldn’t slip up. They’d already demonstrated that perfectly well. But still, if Mali started to suspect something, she’d be heading for Atara in a heartbeat.

‘We need to sabotage Mali’s plane.’

Gale’s features pulled into a concerned frown. ‘That seems a little extreme as of right now.’ He tilted his head to the side as he studied Olivia. ‘You look pale. Has something happened?’

Her legs wobbled without warning, and so she sat down in one of the chairs in front of the desk. Leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees, she stared at a small imprint in the floor.

‘Yeah,’ she sighed. ‘You could say that.’ 

Yet at the moment, what she’d experienced over by the lift seemed unreal and far away. She knew it _had_ happened, but in here, she didn’t feel scared anymore. She just felt determined; determined to give Mali what she deserved. And speaking of...

She looked up at Gale again. ‘Hey, you said I could make a written statement, right?’

The Mayor nodded slowly. ‘Yes. Any witness reports of Mali engaging in misconduct will be of help to Arlo. Do you want to do it right now?’

Misconduct, huh… Well, that was one way to describe it.

‘Yeah,’ she said, grabbing her chair to scoot it closer to the desk. ‘If you have enough paper. Because I have _a lot_ of things to say about the inspector.’

* * *

 

Arlo stared unseeingly into the darkness just outside the window. If he strained his eyes, he could make out unidentifiable shapes flying past in the shadows, but he knew from the hours of travel he’d done before the sun had gone down that whatever hid in the dark wasn’t interesting enough to bother.

His hands were fisted in his lap, clenching the strap of the bag of clothes that Gale had hastily thrown together for him and that now rested on the floor between his legs. No, shapes in the darkness wasn’t something he wanted to devote his thoughts to, but neither was what he was traveling toward and what he was leaving behind—or what would be left when he returned.

He squirmed in his seat, painfully aware of the official envelope stuck in a hidden pocket on the inside of his jacket; the envelope that was filled with documents he hadn’t bothered rifling through yet and tickets whose existence he didn’t even want to think about. 

What he wouldn’t have given to have Olivia’s hand in his.


End file.
